An investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) has raised concerns regarding potential irregularities within several public procurement contracts for cultural institutions. The review covers nearly EUR 5 million in contracts related to renovations and architectural supervision at four facilities under the Culture Ministry in Sofia and Lovech. A legal expert from the ACF noted that the review of tender procedures revealed multiple violations of established tender conditions.
Furthermore, correspondence analyzed by the ACF suggests potential manipulation of the bidding process, indicating predetermined contractor selections. Documentation review showed that in five of the eight contracts examined, the successful bidders lacked the required recent project experience. The ACF identified several procedural flaws, including an instance where an evaluation committee disqualified candidates for non-compliance with technical criteria after price proposals had already been opened.
The investigation highlighted recurring links between the winning companies—Crypto Energy EOOD, Multi Stroi Comers EOOD, and D&D OOD. Two of these firms are connected to the same individual, Petar Dyulgerov, and share physical office locations. Furthermore, the investigation pointed to the repeated involvement of two legal professionals, Ivan Sotirov and Kristian Sotirov, who acted as external experts preparing documentation and serving on evaluation committees.
A key piece of evidence cited was an internal email from an evaluation committee
Topics: #public #procurement #contracts
How much money is being wasted on these renovations when basic maintenance is clearly lacking?
What specific types of irregularities were identified in the public procurement contracts?