site.btaUPDATED Andrey Gurov Found Incompatible as Central Bank Deputy Governor

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday notified the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) that it has adopted a decision ascertaining an incompatibility of Andrey Gurov for the position of BNB Deputy Governor in charge of the Issue Department, the BNB said in a press release on its website.

Until the ensuing lawful actions have been taken, Gurov took unpaid leave so as to preclude any doubts regarding compliance with the legal framework, the central bank said.

Gurov was elected BNB deputy governor for a six-year term by the 49th National Assembly on July 26, 2023 and took office on July 28.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday notified the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) that it has adopted a decision ascertaining incompatibility of Andrey Gurov as BNB Deputy Governor in charge of the Issue Department, the BNB said in a press release on its website.

Until the ensuing lawful actions have been taken, Gurov took unpaid leave so as to preclude any doubts regarding compliance with the legal framework, the central bank said.

Gurov was elected BNB deputy governor for a six-year term by the 49th National Assembly on July 26, 2023 and took office on July 28.

Roundup of Comments

Georg Georgiev MP of GERB-UDF: You must drink as you have brewed. The matter is clearly serious, to judge from the reaction.

Dimo Drenchev MP of Vazrazhdane: Three months ago I myself approached the Anti-Corruption Commission with an alert against Gurov. Probably this alert was not the only one. The problem is that while he was being elected BNB deputy governor in charge of the Issue Department, Gurov was concurrently part of the leadership of the Continue the Change Party and on the governing board of a NGO producing salable analyses, i.e. doing business. Moreover, the same analyses are also produced by the BNB which, in my opinion, places him in a conflict of interest situation. Gurov was also in the management of a company dealing precious metals.

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov: We cannot possibly comment before official information has been made public.

Kiril Petkov MP of CC-DB: Gurov is the first on a [Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Delyan] Peevski's "hit list" of potential caretaker prime ministers who are out of his control. After six failed terms in office, GERB and the MRF exude weakness by these desperate moves. Their worst problem is that they always overdo it. Even tomorrow, we will table rules on the election of new members of the Anti-Corruption Commission. We will thus find out what matters to them more: the money under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Bulgarian businesses and citizens, or keeping control over these bludgeons.

Gurov: Decision Is Unlawful, Based on Untrue Facts

"I categorically assert that the Anti-Corruption Commission's decision is unlawful and is based on untrue facts, prejudicial interpretation of the law, and a refusal to clarify the circumstances in the case," Gurov said in a CC-DB post on Facebook.

"I am convinced that the Commission's decision is politically motivated and deliberately distorts the interpretation of facts. The cases of incompatibility are exhaustively listed in the Bulgarian National Bank Act, which does not prohibit a deputy governor from being a member of the governing bodies of non-profit legal persons and from being a partner in limited liability companies," Gurov argued. 

"This decision places the BNB Governing Council in a delicate situation to defend the independence of the national central bank at a key point in the process of integration of the Republic of Bulgaria into the eurozone," Gurov commented. He is ready to defend his rights in the procedure provided for by the law and to cooperate with the BNB Governing Council.