Bulgarian Ministries Targeted in Mismanagement Prosecutions

Bulgaria's Military Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday that it has charged an unnamed number of defence ministry employees with deliberate dereliction of duty which cost the state over two million leva (around a million euros).

The probe is related to a public procurement for furniture for state-owned housing, which was purchased in 2009 but has never been installed and has been destroyed as a result.

The alleged crime was committed between 2009 and 2013, during which period there were three governments - the first led by Boyko Borissov, then the interim government of Marin Raykov and the centre-left coalition of Plamen Oresharski.

A spokesperson for the state prosecution told BIRN that the number of state officials who have been аccused would not be revealed until the investigation is completed.

It is the latest in a series of investigations by the prosecution in which charges have been pressed against current and ex-ministers and employees of state-owned enterprises.

Petar Dimitrov, who was economy and energy minister during the Socialist-led government of Sergey Stanishev (2005-2009), was the first to be indicted in October in connection with the cancelled Belene nuclear power project.

Lubomir Velkov and Mardik Papazyan, former CEOs of the state-owned National Electric Company, NEC, were also charged with costing the state more than 77 million euros over the Belene deal.

A few days later, Delyan Dobrev, economy minister during the first Borissov government (2009-2013), also became a defendant in the Belene case.

The prosecutor's office has also pressed charges against top-level officials in Borissov's outgoing government.

On November 21, the state prosecution accused healthcare minister Petar Moskov of...