Deputy Energy Minister Krassimir Purvanov Resigns over Apartment Controversy

Deputy Energy Minister Krassimir Purvanov has tendered his resignation on Tuesday, the Energy Ministry said. He was one of the ministers and deputy ministers of Boyko Borissov's government who bought apartments at below-market prices. 

This is the latest resignation following Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva's and Deputy Sports Minister Vanya Koleva's last Saturday.

On March 22, the Counter-Corruption Commission and the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office said they were launching probes against GERB Party Deputy Leader and Floor Leader Tsvetan 
Tsvetanov, parliamentary Culture Committee Chairman Vezhdi Rashidov, Tsacheva and Koleva, all of whom have acquired underpriced luxury apartments in Sofia from the same seller, Arteks Engineering. 

In a separate development, Parliament Chairperson Tsveta Karayancheva said GERB's Executive Commission would make a decision about Tsvetan Tsvetanov future at its meeting on Wednesday, after he returns from his US visit. She told reporters that the party is not divided and everyone in it is in favour of transparency.

Commenting on the apartment controversy, she said the election campaign is off to a turbulent start as things which happened quite some time ago are being made public at this particular moment.

Karayancheva voiced concern that President Rumen Radev seems to fixate on GERB alone to the exclusion of all other parties, whereas the President should be neutral or talk about things in general.

She was in the Black Sea city of Varna for a commemoration of the 106th anniversary of the capture of the Edirne Fortress by the Bulgarian Army during the First Balkan War (1912-1913) and the Day of Thrace. 

Source: BTA