Former Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev accused of mismanagement

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has brought former caretaker Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev under investigation for mismanagement. The case concerns an annex to the contract for the creation of the new personal documents system, signed by Demerdzhiev in the summer of 2023. The additional agreement with the contractor provides for a further 720 000 euro. According to the prosecution, the amount was awarded in violation of the Public Procurement Law.

President Rumen Radev, who appointed the caretaker cabinet, described the charges as "an attack" and said that it remained to be seen whether this was an attempt to settle scores.

"When you expose Delyan Peevski's influence in the Interior Ministry and the umbrella over smuggling, he reacts in the only possible way - by activating his 'hired guns' in the institutions he controls," Demerdzhiev commented on social media. The documents relating to the contract had been reviewed by the Public Procurement Agency, he said.