Economy Ministry Opens Hotline in Response to Reported Bribery

The Economy Ministry is opening a hotline where corruption can be reported, said here in Parliament on Friday Economy Minister Lachezar Borisov.

The hotline is being launched in response to reported solicitation of bribes for EU-funded business projects. Minister Borisov noted that his Ministry's inspectorate is starting a probe into the bribery alert.

He said that the new economic measures, aimed at overcoming the economic crisis stemming from COVID-19, are worth 1.8 billion leva, explaining that the minimum sum of a single project varies between 3,000 leva and 10,000 leva. He said that the reported bribe, described as "a success fee", varies between 40 and 60 per cent of the project's value, which is unacceptable.

Minister Borisov said that the State Agency for National Security has been alerted about the case.

The Economy Minister was adamant that this corrupt practice will be severed, adding that he has already discussed the matter with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Minister Borisov said that after the hearing in Parliament he had the opportunity to speak with many MPs, who have reported that many applicants have been asked to pay a bribe, without clarifying whether the solicitor was a consultant or an employee of the Economy Ministry.

"We made a decision, by order of the Prime Minister, for the Economy Ministry's team to create a platform with documents filled out online, so that the businesses wishing to apply can see sample documents," Minister Borisov said.

The Economy Minister explained that representatives of employer organizations will be included in his Ministry's inspectorate. "We want to sever this connection node between experts,
consultants who ask for such "success fees"," he said.

Minister Borisov said that measures for enhancing the control over existing EU-funded projects will be presented within a few days.

The hotline is +359 2 940 74 21. Alerts can be also e-mailed to signali@mi.government.bg RY/MY

Source: BTA