Investigation: Local oligarchs and their relatives used euro funds to build "guest houses"

Local oligarchs, relatives of clerks and municipal councilors have settled with guest houses built with European funds under the Rural Development Program, the "Trud" newspaper writes. At the same time, the money disbursed from the Agriculture Fund was also audited by Fund employees. Of the total 746 guest houses worth EUR 202 million, built with EU funds, only 62 were found to be irregularities. And the corrections imposed are for only 10 million leva, which have not yet been returned.

Pirinsko is an absolute record of construction of such properties, 145 were lifted for only 6 years. Most are built in the Municipality of Garmen - 52. But locals in the commune comment that only local oligarchs have taken up EU funds. They say the entire scheme of euro money is mistaken, because the program pays up to 200,000 euros, but to get them, you have to have the money available to build, and then you get them back. Most of those who have been involved are building contractors and relatives of various clerks or councilors in local municipal councils, local officials say. Dimitar Gamishev, who became a GERB MP in 2017, is best known here, but he broke out and left the parliament after he realized that he had transferred his company with 200,000 leva to a landless citizen.

The guest house of the relatives of former deputy Dimitar Gamishev in Leshman Gamishev is known for having his family and his wife in the villages of Leshten and Gaitaninovo. In Garmen, the interest is so great that at least two candidates per week have visited the administration with the intention to develop tourism and make guest houses. From previous years, it is known that most reports of irregularities were handed over by citizens to the Yakoruda Guest House Fund. They are against the mayor of Yakoruda Nuredin Kafelov, who allegedly arranges his relatives with properties for guest houses. According to them, the mayor had decided to give a municipal property to the block of his bajjanak and his personal driver Abdi Ismail Hadjiestulov, who wanted to build a guest house. After checks on the Fund, some permits were suspended, but others were unaware of what was found. Similar is the situation in Tarnovo. A total of 19 companies and individuals have received funding for guest houses in Elena Balkan. The local people say that there are almost no random people among the subsidy recipients, and many of the properties are listed in the registers of the names of relatives of oligarchs.

With a subsidy of BGN 237,101, a guest house in Buynovtsi was raised and the owner was the daughter of an energy boss. A house for rural tourism for 230 272 leva realized the company of the daughter of the owner of a large Upper-Pyrenees enterprise. Three of the biggest subsidies of BGN 391,000 are for rural tourism houses in the villages of Miykovtsi, Brachkovci, Boikovtsi and Yakovtsi. Beneficiaries are four ladies. They give the signal to the Prosecutor's Office Cousin of the Gorna Oryahovitsa Mayor in the affair Cousin of the Gorna Oryahovitsa Mayor Eng. Dobromir Dobrev has raised an impressive luxury guest house with eurospar in the village of Donkovtsi, in the village of Yakovtsi in Elena municipality. The luxury guest house in Donkovtsi with euro money is already announced for sale. This was announced by the MP from the BSP for the Veliko Tarnovo region Yavor Bozhankov and the municipal leader of the BSP in the town of Ognyan Stoyanov. "According to the Commercial Register, the property in question is property of" BG Advance "EOOD in the name of Stanislav Ivanov Staykov, who is the first cousin of the Upper-Gorjov mayor. The property is built with funds under OP "Rural Development", measure 312 and is worth BGN 263 242. Nowhere, however, there are signs and information on room rates or contact phones. The property has already been put up for sale through a brokerage agency for the amount of 200 000 Euro, pointed out Nikolai Stoyanov. He will provide the information and will refer the Specialized Prosecutor's Office and the Anti-Corruption Commission to the case. Luxury guest house with euro money in the village of Donkovtsi, Municipality of Elena, already announced for sale.