site.btaParliament Starts Investigating Bribery Reports about Bulgarian Citizenship Award System

104 POLITICS - BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP - INVESTIGATION

Parliament Starts Investigating
Bribery Reports about
Bulgarian Citizenship Award System


Sofia, December 14 (BTA) - The National Assembly on Friday established an ad hoc committee to investigate European and Bulgarian media reports about a bribery scheme for awarding Bulgarian citizenship to foreign nationals. The vote was 161 in favour of establishing the committee, 1 against, and 4 abstentions.

At the proposal of the United Patriots, the 17-member committee was structured on a proportional basis according to the size of each parliamentary group. The initial idea was to staff it on a parity basis.

Yordan Tsonev of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) was elected to chair the committee and Toma Bikov of GERB to serve as deputy chair. The committee will function over a period of three months.

The motion to set up such a committee had been signed by Mustafa Karadayi and other MRF MPs as well as members of GERB, the United Patriots and Volya.

On October 29, twenty officials of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, including its President Peter Haralampiev, were arrested on suspicion of corruption in issuing Bulgarian origin certificates to foreigners applying for Bulgarian citizenship. LY/VE
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