Bulgaria's Ex Refugee Agency Head Reappointed by Govt

Nikola Kazakov, former Chair of Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees, has been reappointed as head of the unit.

Kazakov was reappointed as Chair of Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees during Wednesday's sitting of the government without a competition.

Kazakov was director of the refugee agency in the period 2009-2013 during the term in office of the center-right GERB government, according to reports of Sega daily.

In October 2014, Kazakov was ousted by then-Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev over poor performance.

Kazakov came under criticism for the absolute lack of preparation of the State Agency for Refugees for the peak of the refugee influx in 2013.

On December 29, 2014, Chirpanliev was dismissed and his deputy Vasil Varbanov was appointed as interim head of the agency.

Bulgaria's Public Financial Inspection Agency (PFIA) uncovered public procurement violations worth BGN 261 000 during Kazakov's term in office as head of the refugee agency.