Google Reveals Illegal Construction and Logging at Municipal Property Rented by Harizanov

In the municipal property rented by the company of Georgi Harizanov’s wife in Sofia for only BGN 416. Trees were cut down monthly, buildings were demolished and a new annex was built without any construction papers. This is revealed by archive footage of the Google Street View system and references in the building permit system of Sofia Municipality. In addition, there is evidence of illegal removal of buildings in the neighboring property, which, according to Harizanov, was also rented by his wife’s company.

The information about the cheap rent was published by the BRRD on March 10. and relies on information received under the APIA from Sofia Municipality. The company of Harizanov’s wife “Best Brands” has signed in 2013 a lease agreement for a municipal property in the Krasna Polyana district for five years. For a two-storey house with an area of 150 sq. m. and yard with parking spaces she pays 416 leva. Monthly. The contract was renewed after its expiration without holding an auction for a new tenant.

According to the head of the party television of GERB Georgi Harizanov , there was no drama with this cheap rent, as the two-storey house was a “shack”, renovated at the expense of his company.

“We have been there since 2010,” he wrote in response to questions from municipal councilor Toma Belev on the social network Facebook.

An interesting question is who are “they” and on what grounds they are “there” since 2010, after according to official data Sofia Municipality rented the property only in 2013 to the company “Best Brands”, which in turn was established in 2011. His wife has a company “Rhea Studio Bulgaria”, which was established in 2009, but Sofia Municipality does not announce in response to a question under the APIA that this company had a lease.

Satellite images from the Google Earth system show what happened to this property after “they” were “there”.

In 2010, there were trees on the property. Three years later, they disappeared. This logging could not happen without coordination with the Krasna Polyana District Mayoral Hall, but they refused to answer the questions under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) whether there was a coordination procedure.

After the felling of the trees, which frees up space for parking, an annex to the house was built. This is seen in Google Street View, which kept history until 2012.

In the Cadastre system, such an annex does not exist. There is also no evidence of a building permit issued in the system of Sofia Municipality. The municipality did not answer our questions under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) whether construction permits have been issued for the annex. There should be such for the fence, as well as for the sidewalk in front of the building, which Harizanov boasts of building for the benefit of the municipality.

But in the Cadastre are marked two other buildings located on the same property, which have disappeared. Their removal also had to be permitted. Moreover, the buildings located on the neighboring property, which is also owned by Sofia Municipality and according to Harizanov’s statements on social networks, are also rented by his wife’s company. This is a property with cadastral number 68134.1108.129, located behind the house with the offices of “Best Brands”. Years ago there were buildings that were placed in the Cadastre, but were subsequently demolished. There is no trace of construction papers for their demolition.

The only document found in the online building permit system is for the construction of two pavilion foundations in the property 68134.1108.129. It is dated to 2016.

The pavilions are built and legal. But the demolition of existing buildings happened earlier, as Google Earth keeps a 2014 satellite image.

All these data raise many questions about the legality of logging, demolition of buildings and construction of new buildings on the properties that Sofia Municipality has leased to the company of Harizanov’s wife. So far, the mayoralty of the Krasna Polyana district has refused to provide information that would help clarify whether everything is legal or there are serious violations and self-management of municipal property.

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За да научавате преди всички за нови разследвания, инсталирайте си нашето мобилно приложение:

Щом сте стигнали дотук, вероятно вече си задавате въпроса как се финансира този журналистически проект.

От създаването си BIRD се финансираше от подаяния в нашето журналистическо чекмедже.
Но на чекмеджето му мина времето. Даже прокуратурата затвори онова Чекмедже, знаете кое…
Нашето финансиране влиза в крак с епохата. Фондонабиращата ни кампания вече се казва

#МятайСБЪРД

Дарявай за BIRD и мятай павета в блатото с корумпирани политици и други тарикати.
Те тайно премятат пари от твоя джоб в своя. Те размятат безнаказано лукса си пред очите на всички. Няма кой да ги накаже ако се надяваш на държавата.
Мятай, за да ги накажеш ти. Да дариш за разследващите журналисти е гаранция, че гадостите, с които силните на деня те замерят, ще им се върнат.
Можеш да метнеш веднъж, за да ти олекне!
Но по-добре е да мяташ редовно всеки месец и да се чувстваш трайно удовлетворен.
А най-добре е да доведеш приятели и да мятаме редовно заедно в екип. С мощен залп!
*За кръстник на новата ни фондонабираща кампания избрахме другарката Ваня. Благодарим й за вдъхновението!