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Southeast Europe
April 12, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 17
Bulgaria property scandal engulfs more top politicians
Denitsa Koseva in Sofia
As the Bulgarian scandal involving the controver- sial purchase of property by top level politicians and magistrates escalates, the prosecution an- nounced on April 8 that another minister and an opposition MP will be probed based on reported information in the media.
The scandal has already led to four resignations and probes from top-level magistrates. Earlier in April, Bulgaria’s chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov ordered an investigation into the controversial acquisition of property by the head of the anti- corruption commission Plamen Georgiev, the wife of Supreme Court of Cassation head Lozan Panov and the son of National Investigation Service director Borislav Sarafov.
Now Tsatsarov has ordered an investigation into the acquisition of property by Tourism Minister
Nikolina Angelkova and by Valeri Zhablyanov, an MP of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party.
Angelkova was accused of acquiring luxury property at lower cost by Valeri Simeonov, leader of one of the parties that form the far-right United Patriots. Although the two have had tense relations since the time when Simeonov was deputy prime minister, Angelkova told reporters she would resign if Prime Minister Boyko Borissov asks her to do so.
The investigations are yet another episode in a significant scandal that broke in Bulgaria in March and involves the acquisition of luxury apartments by top members of the ruling Gerb party at extremely low prices.
Read the full story here