Apartmentgate: the property deals of senior public officials

On 19 March 2019 a joint investigation of the Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) and Radio Free Europe revealed that the chairman of parliamentary group of the ruling party GERB, Mr. Tzvetan Tzvetanov1 had acquired a luxury property at prices significantly below market rates directly from a large construction company with significant business interests in Sofia. In the following weeks, journalists from various media and additional investigations by ACF exposed several high-level politicians and magistrates with similarly suspicious acquisitions. What ensued was one of the biggest corruption scandals since Bulgaria’s entry into the EU. It led to multiple resignations, including by the Minster of Justice, Ms. Tzetzka Tzacheva, the deputy ministers of economy, of energy and of sports, the former Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism and Member of Parliament, Mr. Delian Dobrev,
and Mr. Tomi Nikolov, Deputy Governor of Sofia. A former Minister of Culture and Member of Parliament, Mr. Vezhdi Rashidov was implicated with similar transactions but did not resign.

You can download the case brief from HERE.