DSB Leader Demands Probe into Construction of Bulgaria's Hemus Motorway

The leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party, Radan Kanev, called on Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov to order an immediate investigation into the tender for the construction of Hemus motorway.

At a press conference on Monday, Kanev demanded the investigation to be performed by a publicly known prosecutor, daily Dnevnik quotes him as saying.

The MP insisted that an inquiry should also be launched into previously disclosed data about the role of controversial MP and media mogul Delyan Peevski over appointments in the judicial system.

According to the leader of DSB, the public procurement procedure for the construction of the first two lots of Hemus motorway was not transparent and the winners were anonymous offshore companies concealing the interests of the largest oligarchs in the country.

Kanev added that the controversies surrounding the construction of Hemus motorway and the alleged interference of Peevski in the judicial system demonstrated that Bulgarian authorities have become heavily dependent on the second largest opposition party - the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and the economic and media circles around it.

Later on Monday at a briefing in Veliko Tarnovo, Kanev made a forecast that early elections are likely to be held in May.

In December last year, DSB, which is one of the parties constituting the junior coalition partner - the Reformist Bloc (RB), withdrew its support for the government after the failure of parliament to adopt all amendments to the constitution concerning the reform of the judiciary which had been proposed by then Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov.