Management of Sofia's Public Transport Company Resigns

The management of the Sofia Urban Mobility Center, the municipal company operating the public transport in the Bulgarian capital, has submitted its resignation.

This was announced by the chairperson of Sofia municipal council Elen Gerdzhikov at an extraordinary press conference on Monday.

On Friday, Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova demanded the resignation of the management after a scandal regarding the award of BGN 235 730 public tender for the equipment of sixty bus stops in Sofia.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of Sofia's deputy mayor responsible for transport, Lyubomir Hristov, and MP from the ruling GERB party, Irina Kotseva.

The scandal erupted after an investigation revealed that the tender was won by a firm of the husband of Kotseva, while photos showed the official car of Hristov parked outside the house of the MP in the town of Samokov.

Hristov admitted that he is in close ties with the family and has numerously visited their house on numerous occasions, but distinguished himself from the Urban Mobility Center which had awarded the tender.

Kotseva claimed that she was not aware of the public tenders won by the firm of her husband.

Specialists have estimated that the actual cost of equipping the bus stops should be twice lower than the one announced in the tender.

A competition for new management of Sofia Urban Mobility Center will be announced at the regular meeting of the municipal council on Thursday.

Since the beginning of the month, Fandakova has ordered full inspection of public tenders awarded by the municipal company.