Chief Prosecutor Seeks to Close Foundation over Illegal Campaign Financing

Bulgaria’s Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov wants to close a foundation that illegally funded the campaign of DOST party (a breakaway from the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms) in the latest parliamentary elections, the prosecutor’s office said on 20^th of October.

A request was filed in the District Court in Kardzhali for the termination of a non-profit organization "Batu Platform Association" in Kardzhali because of activities contrary to the Constitution, laws and accepted principle of morality, the statement said.

The Foundation has provided funding for the DOST campaign with anonymous donations of non-established origin. The Prosecutor's Office has found that in March 2017 the association has received BGN 100,000 from an unknown donor which have been transferred through a Turkish bank.

The money was used to buy sugar, flour, rice, pasta and other food products, which were distributed in packages of 30 BGN value each. They were given to Bulgarian muslims to be motivated to vote for DOST.

Political Party DOST has nothing to do with the Batu Platform Association, which the Prosecutor's Office claims to have illegally funded the election campaign of DOST. This was stated by the press center of the party in a press release.

The only food products that the party distributed in Kardzhali and the police subsequently stopped were bought with funds of the party at the amount of 8,400 BGN. The party also distributed an invoice for the purchased products from a company in Kardzhali.

DOST stamenent also says that if the foundation in question had any activity in Bulgaria, this activity is not relevant to the party.

DOST party has never had any relations with any foundation, including Batu Platform Association, which is the subject of the investigation pointed by the Prosecutor's Office statement, DOST’s press office wrote.