Bulgarian Press Review August 17, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, August 17 (BTA)


HOME SCENE

In a few weeks the government will adopt a decision changing the form and responsibility zone of the Bulgarian troops in Kabul, Defence Minister Nikolay Mladenov says in an interview for "24 Chassa" headlined "Our Rangers in Kabul Go into Action." A company will be sent to guard the outer perimeter of the airport of Kabul, replacing the mechanized company and the guarding platoon which are now there. In Mladenov's words, this was planned by the previous government but the adoption of the respective decision was put off deliberately until after the elections. "I delayed the decision to assure myself that our contingent is prepared for its new task and that everything is agreed with our allies," he says. The defence minister pledges that everything possible will be done and that the military will get their remuneration. At the moment, the Defence Ministry team is reviewing the rearmament contracts for which there is not enough money in the budget.

* * *

"Tsacheva Checks Sergei's Spending," "Standart News" writes on its front page. Referring to National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva, other dailies report that the National Audit
Office will be asked to audit the financial management and operation of Sergei Stanishev's cabinet. The audit proposal has been approved by the National Assembly Budget and Finance Committee. The latest audit, which did not find serious irregularities, was conducted last year and covered 2007, "24 Chassa" recalls.

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In January-July the Commission for Identifying Criminal Assets Acquisition ensured the distraint of property in 128 cases totalling 98 million leva, "Douma" says on its front page. The press quotes Commission Chairman Stoyan Koushlev who says that their greatest success was the seizure of the property of drug boss Dimiter Zhelyazkov, aka Mityo Ochite (Mityo the Eyes).

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The Culture Ministry has utilized almost 70 per cent of its budget and all contracts have been signed - mainly for capital investment, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov says in an interview for "Troud." The problem is that the Ministry will have to reduce the remainder of the budget by 15 per cent, or 8 million leva, as all other ministers have to do, he says.

* * *

"24 Chassa" carries an interview with Ex-President Peter Stoyanov (1996-2001) who has called Macedonian President Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov to discuss the Spaska Mitrova case. Appealing Mitrova's sentence will be a lengthy process and in the meantime her three-month prison term will end; that is why the only possible way of helping her is that she be pardoned by the Macedonian president, Stoyanov says. "Standart News" notes that Mitrova, who holds a dual citizenship - Macedonian and Bulgarian - and is in the Skopje prison, may be released for good behaviour before the expiration of her term. This is what Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov expects.

* * *

"Novinar" announces that Macedonian and Moldovan citizens have been trading illegally Bulgarian passports. Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov told the paper there were companies in Moldova and Macedonia which offered people to provide them with Bulgarian citizenship within three months against payment.

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According to the new director of the National Customs Agency (NCA), Gen. Vanyo Tanov, statutory and structural changes should be made to guarantee the performance of the tasks involved in the elimination of smuggling rings. This is what Tanov says in an interview which "24 Chassa" publishes under the headline "I Am Not Afraid of the Monteray Circle [mob-like group believed to be ruling Bulgaria]. I Am Removing Their People." In his words, different customs offices are under the protection of individual circles. A purge has started at the customs and two deputy directors of the NCA have been dismissed. "Standart News" says that the two dismissed deputy directors, Roumen Bozhinov and Hristo Abadjiev, are suspected of assisting smuggling. The fate of Tanov's third deputy director, Krassimir Nikolov, will be decided next week; he is investigated by the prosecution authorities. The NCA Chief Secretary, Chavdar Vassev, is also expected to be relieved of his duties, "Standart News" says. The head of the Kremikovtsi Customs Office, Daniela
Petrova, has been dismissed, Tanov says.

* * *

Interviewed for "Dnevnik," Deputy Economy, Energy and Tourism Ivo Marinov says it is planned to draft a new law on tourism introducing standards for the quality of tourist products, in particular for hydrotherapy, spa, cultural and rural tourism.

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Rural tourism is on its way of replacing sun-and-sea tourism, "Monitor" reports. Referring to the Bulgarian Village Agency, it says that this summer there is an at least 20 per cent increase in the demand for rural tourism offers.

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"Troud" gives special prominence to abuses at the Agency for Social Assistance. An inspection of the Agency showed that companies offer hearing aids to people with impaired hearing at 5.15 US dollars a piece and then get a refund of 406 leva from the State.

* * *

The Swiss company Arvex has sold to the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) old wagons for 16 million leva, "Standart News" reports in its leading story. Valentin Mollov, the owner of First Private Bank that went bankrupt, arranged the purchase of the wagons, made in the 1970s, from Germany where they were to be used as scrap. The price charged is by 2,800 per cent higher.


JUDICIARY, INTERIOR MINISTRY

The National Investigation Service (NIS) has instituted legal proceedings against an unknown perpetrator acting on a tip-off of an attempt to extract a bribe of 600,000 leva by an officer of the Economy and Energy Ministry. The bribe was to be paid by Mladen Moutafchiyski, a businessman, for obtaining approval of project under Operative Programme Competitiveness
of Bulgarian economy.

* * *

There should be a little change in the Code of Criminal Procedure allowing the hearing of a case within a week, NSI Director Boyko Naydenov says in an interview for "Standart News." Legal actions have been brought against eleven magistrates, most of them over corruption charges.

* * *

There are two cases of instituting pre-trial proceedings for scandalous land swaps made in the past seven of eight years; they are expected to be completed in two months, Deputy Sofia Prosecutor Roman Vassilev says in an interview given to "Monitor." He also says that investigations have been launched at the defence Ministry and the Labour and Social Policy
Ministry.

* * *

All aspects of the Galeria [Gallery] investigative case will be carefully examined by the National Bureau for Special Surveillance Means (SSM) Control to establish whether the State
Agency for National Security (SANS) used them lawfully, the deputy chairman of the Bureau, Anton Stankov, told "Dnevnik." Galeria was an operation involving the wiretapping of politicians and journalists had been wiretapped as part of the Galeria case and this seriously undermined the prestige of SANS.


ECONOMY

Plants hit by the crisis are put up for sale, "Dnevnik" says in its leading story. Private law-enforcement officers are selling industrial property totalling over 45 million leva. Four hotels, estimated at over 16 million leva, are also sold for debts.

* * *

The expenditure side of the budgets of ministries and state agencies have been reduced by 15.15 per cent, or nearly 367 million leva, "Troud" writes.

* * *

"Sega" says on its front page that the prices of flats have fallen down to their prime cost. The decline in the prices of vacation property is steepest; housing units in Sofia remain the most expensive ones.

* * *

Despite the crisis there is interest in the market of farming land, "Dnevnik" notes. The difference is that supply exceeds demand and it is buyers who dictate the prices. This is what a survey "Dnevnik" conducted among big land traders showed.

* * *

The National Revenue Agency (NRA) is going to establish mobile groups to curb VAT frauds, "Standart News" writes. The groups will exercise preventive control of companies seeking VAT
registration or those already VAT-registered. In another item the daily reports that NRA has uncovered a VAT siphoning scheme involving employees of the NRA directorate in Sliven. The
irregularities there included also conflict of interest and nepotism.

* * *

The Directorate for National Construction Control issued 470 orders for removal of unlawful structures in january-June, "Standart News" says referring to Ivan Simidchiev who head the
Directorate. A total of 247 structures were demolished, 219 of which by their owners.

* * *

The prices of all basic vegetables fell last week, "24 Chassa" says. The price drop coincided with the mass inspections conducted by tax inspectors and mobile customs groups at large
commodity exchanges and warehouses.

* * *

Bulgarian companies have 1,714 bank accounts with over 4 million leva in them, "Standart News" says quoting data of the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB). The crisis emptied the Bulgarian companies' bank accounts; largest are the ones held by automobile and motorcycle traders.


BULGARIA - EU

"Klassa" reports that nearly 79 million leva will be granted to businesses under Operative Programme "Human Resources" in support of the measure for part-time workers assistance, Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov told the daily.

* * *

So far only 1.2 per cent of the 13,200 million euro provided by the EU have been absorbed by Bulgarian beneficiaries, "Monitor" reports referring to the Deputy Chairman of the National Chamber of Enterprise and Crafts, Yossif Avramov. In his view, a state-owned or a joint public-private consortium of companies should be established to draft projects for European funding in a centralized way, which will increase the absorption rates.




SOCIETY

Archaeologist Diana Dimitrova has uncovered an extremely rich Roman tomb at the village of Kroushare, Sliven region, "Standart News" reports. A unique gold wreath headpiece was found in a mound which will be called Kitov Mound" after the name of Prof. Georgi Kitov, a prominent Bulgarian archaeologist.

* * *

"24 Chassa" says on its first page that at least 200 Bulgarians use old cooking oil as fuel for their motor cars; it costs them maximum 2 leva per 100 km.



Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:


• http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/


Most discussed topics of the day – August 17, 2009


• Express estimations of gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2009 show a decline in the economy by 4.8 percent compared to the corresponding period of previous year, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) informed.
According to express quarterly estimates of NSI the actual decline in GDP was 4.8 percent for the second quarter of 2009 compared to the same period of previous year. In nominal terms GDP reached 15 826 million euro in current prices.

• The Bulgarian engineer, Konstantino Alexandro, who was murdered last week in the Dominican Republic, was allegedly not killed for the money he was carrying. Santo Domingo newspaper, El Nacional, reported that Alexandro was carrying 22 500 Dominican Pesos, USD 203, a golden ornament and a gun but none of them were taken by the attackers. El Nacional cited Police Deputy Director, Cesar Ramirez. Workers at the car wash at which Alexandro had left his car were witnesses to the event as he was attacked just after he took money out of a local ATM. The report concluded that it is not yet clear what Alexandro was doing in the Dominican Republic. El Caribe stated that his body is currently in the National Medical Institute and has not been looked for by any relatives or friends. They added that the autopsy results are due later Monday. Ten people have been questioned by the Dominican police so far on the case of Alexandro who was murdered in Bella Vista Mall area last week.

• Between 300 000 and 400 000 people have been taken in the grey economy, Minister of Labor and Social Policy Toyu Mladenov said during a sudden check in a fast food restaurant on Vitosha blvd in the capital, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed. Mladenov stated that the check is being carried out after a signal.