A report against the former minister of environment and water Borislav Sandov and his vice Toma Belev has been filed in the Prosecutor’s Office. That has been officially announced by the state prosecution.
The signal has been alerted by a non-governmental organization which name is not mentioned in order to prevent interfering with the investigation. Both of them failed to become MPs after they was replaced by people with preferences. Right winged people have proven that they do not like the left winged greens. Hence there are no obstacles for them to be investigated because they have no immunity.
Borislav Sandov has concluded 9 agreements without public procurement with The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and its units, while he was minister of environment and water. Most of them were also agreed by the former deputy minister Toma Belev. The total amount of the contracts amounts to over BGN 4.7 million, which were spent in just two months.
He has transferred activities that are within the competences of the Executive environmental agency, which is a secondary budget spender funds to the department. The agency traditionally announces public orders for them when hiring outsiders and companies. According to lawyers, it is probably a matter of bypassing the PLO, which is a violation and should be audited by the State Financial Inspection Agency and the prosecutor's office.
On the other hand, it is unequal compared to other institutes of the BAS, which they do not receive additional funds and assistance from the state. Yeah, they're like that for example Institute of Bulgarian Language, Institute of Literature, NIMH and others, who wallow in misery.
On May 25, 2022, Sandov concluded a contract with IBEI at the BAS for BGN 9,920 for identifying the boundaries and determining the type of sand dunes, located in sea beaches "Lozenets", "Sunny Beach - South", "Sunny Beach – central', as well as sand dunes located outside the marine range "Kavatsi - North" and "Kavatsi - South" beaches.
The activity is entirely within the competences of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the wards IAEC, but Borislav Sandov assigns it to the BAS. For its delegation, a public procurement must be announced, lawyers explain. On the same date IBEI also receives a second contract for consulting on evaluation of the status, threats and spatial data for peatlands in Bulgaria. Two specialists will share BGN 11,000.
A few days before, on May 18, 2022, IBEI had already received BGN 24,000 for provision of the Bulgarian-nominated expert from the Institute Assoc. Dr Vladimir Vladimirov in order to provide specific expertise and ensuring Bulgaria's effective participation in the World Committee UNESCO heritage and fulfillment of the commitments of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, arising from membership. The funds are available until the end of the year.
There is also a contract from June 2, 2022 for BGN 29,500 and it is to be updated and supplemented of the draft text of the Strategy for Biological Diversity in the Republic of Bulgaria, according to the current normative and strategic goals and documents with relation to conservation and restoration of biological diversity of national level, EU level and international level. The funds are for remuneration of the experts who will carry out the strategy changes to 50 days. Several people will divide BGN 29,500 in less than two months script. The activity is entirely within the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the ward IAEO, but Borislav Sandov assigns it to BAS. The next contract is from July 1, 2022 for consulting and direct conservative measures for 29 plant species, of which 25 with current plans valid for the period 2014-2023. The contract is for BGN 156,100 with a term of execution until December 10, 2022. 10 people will work on conservation, who will take an average of BGN 3,900 per person per month. The activity too can be carried out by the EAES and by the offices of the RISW in places.
The largest tranche goes to the BAS to the National Museum of Natural History value BGN 4,191,940 with a contract dated July 8, 2022. The experts must carry out by December 10, 2022 consultations and collection assistance, the analysis and interpretation of data on natural habitat types and species for the purposes of the National System for Monitoring the Status of biological diversity and biological conservation policy variety.
The whole activity is within the competences of the Environmental Protection Agency and categorically circumvents the PLO, being provided directly to the BAS instead of the internal agency to the ministry, lawyers commented. According to them, in this way it is outsourced the monitoring of outsiders, for which a tender must be organized the rules of the law. So is the EU directive.
On July 19, 2022, Sandov signed a contract with the Botanical Garden at the BAS to create a National Center for the Protection and Reproduction of endangered species of plants from the Bulgarian flora (living collection) and visitor center at the Botanical Garden - BAS. The value is BGN 160,000 direct transfer, as the funds are for experts' fees, who will work on the project. The contract runs until November 30, 2022, on which about 20 experts and workers work. On average, it turns out that they will receive 2000 BGN per month from above until the end of November.
Two days later, on July 20, 2022, the former minister signed a new contract with IBEI at BAS for carrying out consultations with the development of plans for action on priority pathways for unintended introduction and spread of invasive alien species that affect the EU in Bulgaria. It provides BGN 150,000 with a term of validity until March 10, 2023. Funds should go primarily to team rewards. In a week, on the 2nd July 8, 2022, Borislav Sandov succeeds at the end of the fallen by government authority, to grant another contract to BAS with The National Natural History Museum. It is for BGN 5,750 to provide an expert from the museum in order to provide specific expertise and ensuring effective membership of Bulgaria in the Committee for World UNESCO heritage and fulfillment of the commitments of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, arising from membership.
From the whole things, it appears that there is money for some institutes of the BAS, and for others the state is a stepmother. It was not by chance that NIMH protested, which has no money for wages and equipment to provide the weather forecast for the whole country of Bulgaria.
