site.btaAgricultural Academy Chair, Institute of Soil Science Deputy Director Charged with Malfeasance

Agricultural Academy Chair Martin Banov, and the Deputy Director of the Institute of Soil Science, Agrotechnology and Plant Protection, Veneta Krasteva, were charged with illegally downgrading the category of agricultural land, said the prosecution service on Wednesday.

In June of last year the two committed malfeasance with the aim of obtaining property benefits, which consisted in the unlawful downgrading of agricultural land to enable third parties to build solar installations on it.

The pre-trial proceedings were initiated at the end of August after an inspection by the Counter-corruption  Commission.

On Tuesday, there were a number of searches and confiscations in connection to the case in Sofia, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Byala, Kardzhali, Momchilgrad and Haskovo, many witnesses were questioned as well.

Permissions to carry out searches have been issued in advance by a judge for over thirty homes, motor vehicles and state institutions, including a municipality and a regional directorate of agriculture.