European Prosecutor’s Raid on Bulgargaz: Minister and CEO Provide Updates
Following the recent raid by the European Prosecutor’s Office at Bulgargaz, the acting Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, and the company’s Executive Director, Kiril Ravnachki, held a press conference to share further details regarding the inspections. It was revealed that the investigation pertains to the expansion project of the underground gas storage facility in Chiren, for which the European Union allocated €78 million.
The Energy Minister announced a temporary halt to the expansion project at Chiren until the European Prosecutor’s investigation into Bulgargaz is completed. He indicated that the tip-off was from an auditor within Bulgargaz itself. “We have provided full access to information related to the expansion project of the underground gas storage in Chiren. The management and staff of Bulgargaz have offered complete assistance regarding this project. Given the extensive volume of data, documenting and recording all the provided information took more than ten hours. The Main Directorate of National Police and the Ministry of Interior expressed their gratitude to the company for its full cooperation,” said Ravnachki. “Due to the ongoing investigation, I cannot provide further details on the case,” he added.
Malinov expressed his gratitude to both the company’s management and the employees of the Main Directorate of National Police, as well as the European Prosecutor’s Office for their professional and conscientious conduct during the inspection. “As the Minister of Energy, I want to state that, just as we did yesterday, we will continue to provide full support to the law enforcement agencies of Bulgaria and the European Union regarding investigations aimed at establishing the objective truth and protecting our national interests,” emphasized Malinov.
The Minister explained that the public procurement for the gas storage facility in Chiren had already been subject to a review by the State Financial Inspection Agency. “This is the competent authority in Bulgaria and it conducted an inspection earlier this year. The conclusions of the report are public and available on the agency’s website. The document states that no violations were found during the initiation, conduct, and conclusion of the contract, and that the procurement was carried out in compliance with all legal requirements,” he highlighted.
Malinov assured that no construction activities have been initiated under the mentioned contract. “There have been no records of such activities, and no payment requests have been submitted by the contractor to Bulgargaz. Therefore, there is currently no possibility of financial damage to the company,” he confirmed. Additionally, the acting Minister announced that he is set to meet with the newly nominated Minister Goritsa Grancharova, and if she invites him to serve as Minister, he would accept.
