Prosecutor’s Office Indicts Former Caretaker Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has charged former caretaker Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, with mismanagement resulting in damages amounting to 1,482,218 BGN. The pre-trial proceedings were launched on January 16, 2024.

After reviewing the evidence collected to date, the supervising prosecutor concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offense involving gross mismanagement had been committed, in particularly significant amounts, and constituting a particularly serious case.

Specifically, it is alleged that on June 2, 2023, in Sofia, in his capacity as a public official and caretaker Minister of the Interior, Demerdzhiev failed to exercise due diligence in managing state assets. He signed a supplementary agreement to increase the prices of services covered by a contract for the development of a system for issuing Bulgarian personal identification documents. This was allegedly done in violation of the Public Procurement Act and the Internal Rules for Public Procurement Cycle Management of the Ministry of the Interior.

The price increases were not based on a methodology approved by a Council of Ministers decree, no draft agreement was prepared by a legal advisor from the “Legal and Regulatory Services” unit of the Ministry's Property and Social Affairs Directorate, and no market analysis was conducted via certified independent assessors.

As a result, the state allegedly suffered damages of 1,482,218 BGN (approx. €757,000).

A bail measure of 10,000 BGN has been imposed on Demerdzhiev.

In a response, Demerdzhiev stated:
"When you expose Peevski’s influence in the Interior Ministry, he unleashes his enforcers."

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office emphasised that it is committed to establishing all facts, uncovering the objective truth, and ensuring compliance with the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria.