Bulgarian press review, February 12, 2010

Press Review

Sofia, February 12 (BTA)





THE HOME SCENE

The Operation Octopus during which former State Agency for National Security (SANS) adviser Alexei Petrov was arrested along with dozens of other persons on February 11 continues to be the most widely discussed topic by the newspapers. The Interior Ministry suspects that the Octopus group was involved in acketeering, blackmailing, drugs, influence trading, economic frauds and other crimes. On Thursday the prosecuting magistracy demanded remands for seven out of the total of 14 arrested persons, the newspapers write.

"Tax Authorities Dig In Octopus" caps a report in "24 Chassa" which says that the National Revenue Agency starts checks into all members of the Octopus crime group, and the persons and companies related with them. Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is quoted as saying that tax checks will be conducted together with each operation of the Interior Ministry. For a month now the tax authorities and the Interior Ministry have been jointly following big cash flows circulating among firms and banks, says "24 Chassa".

The Friday dailies quote Prosecutor General Boris Velchev as saying that he is not displeased by Alexei Petrov. As a SANS officer Petrov was a member of several special teams working on a number of joint operations of the Interior inistry, SANS and the prosecuting magistracy, "24 Chassa" says. "Where we worked with Petrov, we have no grounds to be displeased with him," Velchev said on Thursday. The Prosecutor General also said that he is aware of Petrov's reputation which he described as "ambiguous, to put it mildly".

"Troud" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that Operation Octopus is like a war testing the endurance of the warring sides. The Prime Minister also described as "absurd" allegations that he had to settle old accounts with Petrov and thus the former SANS officer was arrested.

Quoting Ivan Kostov who chairs the parliamentary committee on SANS supervision, "Novinar" says that information was leaked towards Petrov about his possible arrest. However, the team working on the case managed to contain it, which Kostov said was commendable.

"24 Chassa" quotes a statement by the United States Ambassador to Sofia James Warlick that "the United States congratulates all law enforcement personnel involved in the courageous and professional actions they took in apprehending some of the most notorious suspected criminal figures in Bulgaria".

Former head of the counter intelligence General Atanas Atanassov tells "Troud" that Petrov had been a state security officer from before 1989, the year when democratic changes started in Bulgaria. Atanassov recalls that according to a report of the commission dealing with secret police files, Petrov had been a tenured employee of the Sixth Department of the now defunct State Security in 1987-1990. He argues that this is an extremely important fact. Atanassov says that for many years many people said that organized crime in Bulgaria was created by the repressive machine of the communist regime.

Interviewed by "Troud," former Interior Ministry chief secretary Valentin Petrov says that if the court decides to let Alexei Petrov go, this will be a big failure for Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the special services. Valentin Petrov stresses that the most important thing is the presence of evidence so that the detainee is not set free after a couple of days.

Tihomir Bezlov from the Centre for the Study of Democracy tells "Troud" that Operation Octopus is a risk and a threat to the government. According to Bezlov, a clash between Petrov and Borissov is the biggest such happening in the transition period. He says the figures with such big clout in politics and business clashed in a direct confrontation which ended with an arrest. If the charges against Petrov fail, this would not trigger a conflict between the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister, says Bezlov. However, there will be a big risk and threat to the government, he warns.

A comment in "Sega" says that fifteen years ago the lizard did not cut its tail and asks what is in store for Octopus now. The author says that there was not a government under which Petrov did not prosper. His business and his influence grew continually, no matter who ruled Bulgaria. Petrov surely has enough information about the political process in this country, about the economic upsurges and declines, about the underground becoming one with governance, writes the author. No one knows what Petrov will disclose and about whom. In order to prove that Petrov traded in influence, the Interior Ministry and the prosecuting magistracy will have to name the politicians who assisted him in this. It is yet unclear who installed Petrov where - the state in the mafia or the mafia in the state.

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The Friday newspapers write about the report of the latest Bulgarian Christmas fund-raising campaign by President Georgi Purvanov and First Lady Zorka Purvanova. Health is not a commodity and the health care system cannot be restructured solely along financial lines, Purvanov said, speaking to the press after he and his wife met with donors who participated in the Bulgarian Christmas campaign. The President commented that "no fund-raiser can replace the government and no charitable initiative justifies the abdication of the Bulgarian State in health care".

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"Land Swaps: Yes. Alteration of Designated Purpose of Land: No" caps an interview in "24 Chassa" with GERB floor co-leader Iskra Fidossova, who also chairs the parliamentary Legal Committee. She says that land swaps is not a dirty misnomer but has become so due to the bad practice. Fidossova argues that the opportunity for the state and municipalities to make land exchanges should be kept but in the presence of clear rules. What must be banned by all accounts is altering the designated purpose of the land with the intention of developing it, Fidossova says, noting that this is where things go wrong. She says that dubious swaps are being considered one by one and arguments are being sought to challenge and dissolve them.

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"Bulgaria's True Prime Minister is [Interior Minister] Tsvetanov," "Troud" says, quoting Order, Lawfulness and Justice party leader Yane Yanev. Yanev is further quoted as saying that there are deep-running disagreements between Tsvetanov and Borissov which apparently emerged during Operation Octopus. In reality the true prime minister at the moment is Tsvetanov who "rules" GERB's MPs, Yanev said, claiming that two thirds of the people in GERB are personally loyal to Tsvetanov and constitute an internal opposition to Borissov.

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"Troud" reports that the prosecuting magistracy has started corruption investigations against three higher education establishments - the Southwestern University in Blagoevgrad, the University of National and World Economy in Sofia and the Economic Academy. The news was announced on Thursday by Science and Education Minister Sergei Ignatov during a meeting of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee. MPs received unverified alerts for briberies for exam passings.

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Interviewed by "Klassa" social analyst Yurii Aslanov says that the leader of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) should name his successor. Aslanov says that even if BBSP calls an extraordinary congress, the forum would not lead to any change, and would instead risk plunging the organization into accusations, petty issues and squabbling which will not change the outlook of the party or take it out from the current stupor. According to Aslanov, such an extraordinary forum will further worsen things as it will can spoil the attitude to BSP of its members and voters and thus, the party will lose.

ECONOMY

"Troud" quotes preliminary data announced Thursday by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov according to which the budget deficit in January stood at 495 million leva. Djankov said there will be a deficit until April, when the budget will break even. A surplus is expected in May and June and by the end of the year there should be a balanced budget, according to the Finance Minister.

Djankov said that the January deficit was due to the 240 million leva paid for programmes with European funding, 214 million leva in foreign debt payments and 40 million leva in overdue budget payments to companies.

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In a leading report "Troud" says that after all the retirement age will remain unchanged for the time being. Its increase has been postponed for the time being, as the priorities of the cabinet in 2010 and 2011 will be the health care reform and the stabilization of the labour market, Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov said Thursday, quoted in the newspapers. The reasons why the pension reform will be delayed are unemployment and the hardships of the economic downturn.

BULGARIA-EU

Bulgaria has received positive compliance assessment for two more operational programmes (OPs), OP Administrative Capacity and OP Environment, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said before the EU 27 informal meeting of heads of state or government in Brussels, quoted by the Friday newspapers. This brings the number of operational programmes with positive compliance assessment to six in the last three days.

OP Administrative Capacity is worth 132 million euro and Environment is worth 1,466 million euro, the dailies recall.


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 – February 12, 2010

· Bulgaria will take a decision on whether to depose anti-missile defense at its territory after a discussion with the EU member states and the Bulgarian Parliament. This is what Prime Minister (PM) Boyko Borisov said as a reply of the question about disposing anti-missile defense in Bulgaria, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs.

· The decision where to depose the anti-missile defense in Bulgaria is half mathematic, half political. I think that at the basis of the military co-operation between the U.S. and Bulgaria-the Bulgarian-American bases in Bulgaria it will be normal to depose anti-missile defense at the territory of Bulgaria, former foreign minister Solomon Passy and president of the Atlantic club told journalists, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs.

· The Ministry of Heath does not closes hospitals but arranges quality criteria of the medical services, said heath minister Bozhidar Nanev during the parliamentary control, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs. According to Nanev there has been a fear for many years it will happen.

· All checkpoints along the Greek-Bulgarian border worked normally, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on February 12 2010. On the evening of February 11, Greek protesters who had blocked the border for four weeks opened the Kulata- Promahon checkpoint for automobiles and later that evening for trucks.