Demerdzhiev Announces Probe Into Guardrail Supplies

We are checking the supply of guardrails in Bulgaria because, if you dig a little, you will see that only two companies supply guardrails, and malicious tongues say that the same figure stands behind both companies – that of a former prime minister, the minister said. Demerdzhiev told BNR that the inspection would cover both the companies supplying the equipment and the way road infrastructure is being built.

The minister said the inspections would not be limited only to guardrails, but would cover road construction more broadly. According to him, a comparison will be made between practices in Bulgaria and other European countries, including Germany – both in terms of prices and the standards for building road facilities. Ivan Demerdzhiev also said that materials on cases involving violations in road repairs and construction had already been summarized and sent to the acting prosecutor general. He explained that the case files handled by the Interior Ministry, related to thefts in road construction, had been summarized and handed over to the acting prosecutor general so that proceedings concerning road repairs could be reviewed carefully, because this responsibility lies not only with the Interior Ministry, but with all responsible state institutions.

Regarding the draft budget proposed by the government, Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said it was a reflection of the irresponsible actions of some of the most recent cabinets, and above all the last one – Zhelyazkov’s, better known to people as Peevski’s cabinet. On the draft budget, Ivan Demerdzhiev said that previous cabinets bear responsibility for the financial situation. According to him, the Zhelyazkov cabinet signed numerous public procurement contracts subject to future financing, which he said allowed the draining of public funds. This cabinet made sure, through the various ministries, agencies and companies, to sign so many public procurement contracts under condition, the condition being that financing would be secured, so that corrupt practices for draining the budget could continue even after its existence, he said.

Ivan Demerdzhiev said that laboratories for testing blood samples for narcotic substances would be available in August, specifying that the deadlines had been shortened on his orders. According to him, there are currently no laboratories because someone decided to launch public procurement procedures for design work, even though the Interior Ministry has a designer. Data have been collected on all such procurement procedures in the Interior Ministry, and we are taking action in the same direction – terminating all those we can terminate or replacing them with other practices that lead to payments that are dozens of times cheaper, he said.

During questioning, the owner of the Ukrainian corporation KUB, which built the illegal settlement near Varna, indicated which intermediaries he had paid in order to have the construction legalized, the interior minister emphasized. He added that evidence had already been gathered against some of the intermediaries and the people who carried out the orders. We reached some of them, but we are continuing the work up to the highest level that can and must be reached. The highest level in this case that can and must be reached is the people responsible for the actions of Denyo Denev – the head of the State Agency for National Security at the time, Demerdzhiev said.