GERB Nominee for Prime Minister Accused of Conflict of Interest over Municipal Housing Rental

The “Discussion Club for Social Local Policy” Association submitted a conflict of interest report to the Prosecutor General, related to the GERB nominee for Prime Minister Maria Gabriel. The report states that Gabrielle was a council housing tenant in the capital when she was an MEP.

In 2010, Maria Gabriel signed a contract with a subsidiary company of the municipal company “Stolichni Imoti”. Thus, she rents an apartment of 128 square meters in the “Lozenets” district, with a monthly rent of BGN 400. In 2014, as a municipal councilor from the BSP, Nikolay Belalov asked the mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality in a letter whether an MEP rents a municipal apartment. The official answer from Yordanka Fandakova is that the properties of the Metropolitan Municipality are in funds with social functions and undocumented citizens, including and Maria Gabriel, do not use municipal housing, bgonair reported.

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“It was explained about the criteria, they categorize people – single mothers, elderly people, but he denied that Mrs. Gabriel used such an apartment. What I am sure of is that Mrs. Fandakova lied to me,” Nikolay Belalov commented.

The residents of the cooperative know about the municipal housing, but not who exactly lives in it.

When a media investigation begins on the case, Maria Gabriel replies that she asked for help to “stock” things there.

“When Gabrielle explained, she said she had to sell stuff there a lot. That there are people living in horrible conditions and in dire need of affordable housing is irrelevant to her. It’s the ones who sell off the housing , it turns out that they use exactly such a home. Not to mention the income. Then, as an MEP, which is huge, she decided to sell her things there,” Belalov explained. Formally, the apartment in question does not fall into the listed categories of “municipal housing”, but it is in the capital of a commercial company, which is actually owned by the Metropolitan Municipality.

In a position for ON AIR News, the municipality admits that Maria Gabriel used municipal housing.

KPCONPI terminated its proceedings on a report against Maria Gabriel

“Maria Ivanova Nedelcheva was a tenant of an apartment located in the city of Sofia, 25 Nikola Vaptsarov Blvd., owned by “Zavodproekt” EOOD, according to a lease agreement dated 01.10.2010. The rental price was determined according to an expert assessment of licensed appraiser on the market principle. The contract was terminated after a notice was given on 04/11/2012,” states the municipality’s response.

The GERB political party refused to comment on the case. Nikolay Belalov submitted the report to the prosecutor’s office in the hope that the recent events surrounding the chief prosecutor may cause a more detailed examination of the case.