Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Turkish Stream through Bulgaria

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCP) launched an investigation into the way the Turkish Stream extension was built through Bulgaria. The State Prosecution has initiated a self-inquiry following information circulated in the media about violations related to the selection of the contractor and the accelerated construction of the pipe, unregulated contracting between subcontractors and contracting authorities to circumvent the Public Procurement Act and the discussion of schemes prohibited by law, such as the hiring of a candidate contractor as a subcontractor for part of the project.

The prosecution's actions come after revelations by the Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) of irregularities in the procedure launched by the last government of Boyko Borissov, whose GERB party is currently a coalition partner in the Denkov government.

According to leaked emails from hacked emails of Alexander Babakov, who according to the ACF is a Russian politician and a hero in several corruption scandals, the construction was negotiated in complete violation of the Public Procurement Act, with the contractor being clear in advance, and unauthorized practices were used to give almost 100% of the pipe's capacity to the Russians and to deceive the European Commission.

In the end, the Turkish Stream extension through Bulgaria was built by the Saudi consortium Arqad, but according to media investigations and statements by government officials, the actual work was carried out by Russian subcontractors and the site was guarded by Russian armed forces.

Later, during a search, it turned out that one of the jeeps of "Arcad" was used by Delyan Dimitrov, the husband of Sevdelina Arnaudova, a long-time PR of Boyko Borissov.

Arnaudova's husband was appointed to the board of Bulgartransgaz - the project's sponsor - in 2015. He remained in that post until 2021, when President Rumen Radev's first caretaker government removed him. He explained the presence of the jeep in the yard of his house by the fact that Arcad gave their jeeps to Bulgartransgaz after they left after the construction was finished.

It should be recalled that the Turkish Stream project through Bulgaria, which was called by Boyko Borissov "Balkan Stream", was built in a little over a year and cost Bulgartransgaz nearly BGN 3 billion. The pipeline serves almost entirely Russian interests and has effectively allowed Moscow to start the war in Ukraine in peace, knowing that it has a route to supply Serbia and Hungary even if the route through Ukraine stops.

According to recent governments - both caretaker and those of Keep the Change - the pipeline will pay for itself for about 25 years from Russian transit fees, and then only if it does not stop transmission because of Western sanctions.