[CLSTR]
< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [POLITICS]

3 clusters · 13 sources · 10 days · First seen · Last updated

Bulgarian corruption allegations and DPS political response

Overview

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) parliamentary group initiated a push for a parliamentary inquiry into alleged corruption regarding public procurement contracts for protective covers, known as ‘mantinele’. The proposal requested testimony from Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev and Minister of Regional Development Ivan Shishkov, citing suspicious contract indexations and pressure that reportedly led to the resignation of an executive director.

The DPS also sought investigations into potential political protection provided by the Ministry of Interior and connections between a Prime Minister advisor and a company involved in contracts exceeding 900 million leva. Following these allegations, the DPS launched a national anti-corruption campaign titled ‘Shield for the People’. Led by Delyan Peevski, the initiative aims to address systemic mismanagement through legislative updates and increased oversight, while opposing administrative staff reductions in favor of digitalization.

Tensions have escalated following law enforcement actions in Sungurlare. Prime Minister Rumen Radev accused opposition leaders Boyko Borisov (GERB) and Delyan Peevski (DPS) of losing control over state financial flows. In response to the detention of Sungurlare Mayor Dimitar Gavazov, Peevski labeled Radev and Nikolay Koprinkov as the ‘top of the oligarchy’, alleging that Radev directs police and intelligence operations to target political opponents.

The DPS ‘Novo Nachalo’ faction has further accused the ‘Progressive Bulgaria’ government of using police forces as a ‘political hammer’ to intimidate the opposition. This follows a series of police actions against three DPS mayors, including the arrests of Dimitar Gavazov and Radoslav Revanski, and a search at the home of Kardzhali Mayor Erol Yumyun. The party claims these actions are attempts to silence them after their mayors allegedly rejected ‘shameful offers’ to support the administration in exchange for protection. The DPS intends to notify European institutions of these alleged repressive measures.

Entities

Rumen Radev · Dimitar Gavazov · DPS · Bulgaria · Jupiter 05 AD

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. [POLITICS] 4 sources
    DPS Party Accuses Bulgarian Government of Political Repression

    The DPS party has accused Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s government of using police forces to repress its mayors and intimidate voters through recent arrests and searches.

  2. [POLITICS] 10 sources
    Bulgaria: Political leaders clash over corruption and law enforcement

    Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev accused opposition leaders of corruption following a mayoral arrest, while DPS leader Delyan Peevski countered by labeling the Prime Minister as part of the oligarchy.

  3. [POLITICS] 3 sources
    DPS calls for parliamentary inquiry into Bulgarian procurement corruption

    The DPS party has called for parliamentary hearings in Bulgaria to investigate alleged corruption and political protection involving public procurement contracts for mantinele.

Sources

actualno.com · crimes.bg · e-79.com · novini247.com · petel.bg · pik.bg · plovdiv24.bg · regnews.net · standartnews.com · trafficnews.bg · vesti.bg · viaranews.com · zname.info

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history