А Мayor of a Bulgarian city hosts an extravagant party event valued tens of thousands of leva
In the spring of 2017, following a number of media publications, the Anti-Corruption Fund Foundation (ACF) decided to investigate the information about a lavish birthday celebration, organized by Atanas Kambitov, a former member of the National Assembly and mayor of the city of Blagoevgrad.
The mayor gathered more than 150 people in a four-star hotel in Sofia with a number of well-known music performers providing entertainment for the mayor and his guests. According to ACF estimates, such a celebration must have cost between BGN 20,000 and BGN 50,000. How could the mayor have organized such a party, provided that his only declared income for the past decade was his salary?
ACF’s investigation also showed that Mr. Kambitov owned properties in several locations in Bulgaria, however, the assets were frozen because of debts to banks. The presence of a possible past conflict of interest was also established between Mr. Kambitov’s obligations an MP and business interests he had had. While serving in the 41st Bulgarian National Assembly, Mr Kambitov had been a member of the Permanent Committee for Agriculture and Forestry, while at the same time co-owning Les Invest Ltd., a timber company.
The contrast between the mayor’s declared income and his lifestyle and the public interest in this matter prompted ACF to report the case to the National Revenue Agency and other public institutions. A report was also sent to the Commission for Prevention and Investigation of Conflicts of Interest, which started proceedings.
On 27 July 2017, the Commission announced the termination of the proceedings. See their decision here. On 1 September 2017, the National Revenue Agency said that the results of its investigation can be announced publicly only with the written permission of the investigated person. See their response here.
Mr. Kambitov’s third bid to serve as mayor of Blagoevgrad was not successful, following the local elections held on 3 November 2019.