Bulgaria's interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev faces accusations amid culture minister's NDK board purge

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has come under criminal scrutiny after prosecutors opened an investigation into a disputed public‑procurement deal for the national ID‑card system. The case, initially filed last year, was returned to the state prosecutor's office, prompting former Ministry of Interior employee Borislav Nedev to question why the minister, who oversees the entire police apparatus, is not removed while lower‑level officials would be.

At the same time, Culture Minister Evgeni Miloshev carried out a sweeping personnel overhaul at the National Palace of Culture (NDK). Following revelations of dramatically inflated managerial salaries and a reported €49 million accounting loss, the minister dismissed the entire directorate. An interim board comprising Iya Petkova‑Angelova, Tsvetelina Nikolova, Lychezar Vesov, Boris Pankin and Iankа Veselinova has been appointed to run the institution for up to six months while formal recruitment procedures are arranged.