Prosecutor’s Office Allerted About Illegal Extraction of Inert Materials in Pazardzhik District
The Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) has notified the Prosecutor’s Office of illegal extraction of underground resources in the “Conagovski Chal” area, in the vicinity of the villages of Debrashtitsa and Aleko Konstantinovo in Pazardzhik Municipality.
The ACF team carried out an on-the-spot inspection and, based on the results, sent a report to the Ministry of Energy (Ref. no. Е-92-00 -520/23 May 2018). A number of violations committed by the company ECO-HYDRO-90 Ltd. have been identified.
In the spring of this year – in April and May – ACF found out on the spot that there was a temporary building and a wire-netting with a “Private Property” sign in the vicinity of the “Conagovski Chal” deposit. In addition, one can clearly see the compromised terrain of the massif, which, according to the Ministry of Energy, is subject to illegal extraction of underground resources.
ACF sources claim that ECO-HYDRO-90 Ltd. holds a permit for conducting blasting works in the region, issued by the sector “Public Order Protection and Territorial Police” – Control of Means Dangerous to the Public (Bulgarian abbreviation: KOS), because the company declared it was planning to build an industrial building (a hall) there. Our team, however, did not see any construction works on that plot. On the other hand, local residents have witnessed blasting works and loading of inert materials from the adjacent towns/villages. Furthermore, the fund is in possession of photos showing what has been happening.
In their reply to ACF with regard to the above-mentioned report, addressed to the Ministry of Energy, the latter informed ACF that the activity of ECO-HYDRO-90 Ltd. in “Conagovski Chal” had been subject to an inspection by ministry officials, carried out on 21 March 2018. The ministry has ascertained that the place (where there is a hydraulic tracked excavator loading rock mass) falls within the Conagovski Chal field. In the course of the inspection, the manager of ECO-HYDRO-90 Ltd. was handed a record of findings and was ordered to immediately terminate the illegal activity. The letter of the Ministry of Energy claims that the ministry has already taken action towards imposing an administrative penalty pursuant to the Underground Resources Act.
At the end of 2017, following amendments to the Criminal Code, a new article – 240а – has been introduced. Pursuant to that article, extracting underground resources without a granted concession is not only a violation of the law, which requires the imposing of an administrative penalty, but a crime, too. Any person who holds, keeps, transports, processes, or expropriates illegally extracted underground resources bears criminal liability.
The reply of the Ministry of Energy reveals that the 21 March 2018 inspection carried out in the Conagovski Chal field ascertained illegal extraction of underground resources, and the manager of ECO-HYDRO-90 Ltd. was ordered to terminate it immediately. At the time of the inspection, the amendments in the Criminal Code had already came into force. This is why the ACF legal team has notified the public prosecution about the case.