site.btaContinue the Change Respond to Allegations Involving Co-leader Assen Vassilev

"Yesterday [Friday] we issued a declaration to isolate [leader of MRF-New Beginning Delyan] Peevski from the government, and the empire immediately decided to strike back. This time with the "testimony" of Petya Bankova, the credibility of which no one can guarantee," Continue the Change (CC) said in a Facebook post Saturday.

The reason for this are media publications with alleged testimonies by former director of the Customs Agency Petya Bankova, which mention former finance minister and CC co-leader Assen Vassilev in connection with the purchase of scanners for the Customs Agency. Bankova is charged with participating in an organised crime group for influence peddling, smuggling, bribery, with three other people. She was released from custody in mid-October on BGN 10,000 bail. 

In its position on Facebook, CC makes a "quick review of the provable facts of the "interrogation". "The order for the scanners was announced publicly and transparently. The Supreme Administrative Court stopped it. Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev's caretaker Government announced it again, but as secret, and chose a contractor without a competition," the party said.

Regarding the medical helicopters, the CC points out that the beneficiary of the project to build emergency air ambulance through the Recovery and Resilience Plan is the Ministry of Health. "The helicopters were contracted, signed and paid for there. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport are not directly involved in this matter," the party said.

"The Chinese trains" - there was an expressed intention for Chinese companies to participate in the public procurement for the supply of new rolling stock for Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ). The Minister of Transport asked the EC about eligibility, the EC expressed concerns, and the Chinese did not submit a bid at all," the CC noted.

"And this is just from a quick review [of the facts]. The rest is Ms. Bankova's "feelings", "doubts", "suspicions", the party added. 

There is even a reading of Assen Vassilev's "body language" - there we are powerless to refute, because we are entering the realm of psychology (and the Simeonovo school's [Interior Ministry Academy] handbook for creating compromises), the CC added.