CHARGES PRESSED AGAINST THE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER ANGELICHIN

The Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office pressed charges against the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hristo Angelichin, for malfeasance in office, the spokesperson of the chief prosecutor, Roumyana Arnaudova, said on 20th of January.

The investigation started a month earlier and is based on a signal reported by Kristian Vigenin, former foreign minister from the socialist-led cabinet of PM Oresharski. The investigation is into a case for public procurement related to Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs drafted a plan for preparation of Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the spokesperson of Sofia Prosecutor’s Office said. This plan envisaged the replacement of the telephone switchboards in the Bulgarian embassies around the world in 2017, following a procurement procedure. The amount of the funds needed for the replacement of the switchboards was higher than the threshold referred to in the law on public procurement and therefore it was necessary to conduct an open procedure.

The procurement procedure was not carried out. Deputy Minister Angelichkin instructed the heads of 12 embassies to directly pay 429,422 euro, without delays, to a company pointed by him. Each ambassador was sent an offer by this company about the telephone switchboards, the company’s bank account and a pro-formа invoice. According to the investigative authorities, Angelichin’s aim was to favour the company to the size of 429,422 euro.

photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs