Presidential and unaccountable: Desislava Radeva’s Association works in the dark

Non-profit association of the wife of President Rumen Radev – Desislava Radeva has not filed reports from 2017 until today, neither in the Ministry of Justice nor in the Registry Agency. This is understood by the answer to questions under the APIA sent to the Ministry. In the management of the association is also the wife of the former caretaker regional minister appointed by President Radev Spas Popnikolov. Stela Popnikolova She is a former head of a directorate at RIA and is being investigated as an official for the bus crash near Svoge. The founder of the association is also the son of the current Secretary General

of President Radev – Tsveta Timeva, previously Secretary for Regional Development. Timeva is also a former employee of RIA.

The Presidential Association

The Living Water of Bulgaria

Association was established on 22.08.2017, or months after the dissolution of the caretaker government

of Ognyan Gerdzhikov, appointed precisely by President Rumen Radev.. Chairman of the Board of the Association is the wife of the President Desislava Radeva and members are Stela Popnikolova and Mirela Bozhinova. According to information on the website of the association
founders
are also Alexander Timev, Stanka Hadzhieva and Pavlina Kovacheva. Kovacheva has participated in previous
election
on the lists of “Movement 21” and is associated with the fashion house “
Credo
“.

Stela Popnikolova is a former head of a directorate at RIA and one of the officials, which, according to the prosecutor’s office, caused by negligence, together with the bus driver, the death of 20 people in the crash near Svoge. She is the wife of the President’s appointee. Radev former Regional Minister Spas Popnikolov in the caretaker cabinet of Ognyan Gerdzhikov. Popnikolov was in the regional ministry in a low position during the management of the NMSS and DPS, and then under the triple coalition, informed Mediapool. The publication adds that Spas Popnikolov

was also a manager in the company BG Asphalt

“, which has a 10-year history. The company has worked on a number of large infrastructure projects, including Graf Ignatievo Airport and Hemus Highway.

Funding with (unaccountable) donations

The Association of Desislava Radeva It has been operating all the years and so far. This can be easily checked on The website

and the Facebook page of the association, which are full of news about events and initiatives.

But how and by whom is the association funded? There is no public information about this, although by law it is mandatory to be published. It is not clear what funds the association has annually and what they are spent on. But that doesn’t stop him from He is collecting donations by announcing

a bank account for this purpose.

Checking the BIRD.BG in the
register
of non-profit legal entities (NGOs), led by the Registry Agency, established the lack of published reports of the Presidential Association. Reports are also missing in

the register of the Ministry of Justice.

The law requires publicity of accounts

In 2018 changes

in three laws concerning non-profit legal entities (NGOs) with a status in public benefit, such as Desislava Radeva’s “Living Water of Bulgaria” Association, oblige associations to publish

annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and annual reports. Reporting is done by applying for announcement and submission of documents by 30 June in the register of NGOs

kept by the Registry Agency.

The provisions introduced in 2018 are laid down in amendments to the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (NPLEA),

the Commercial Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (Non-Profit Legal Entities Act) and the

Accountancy Act (Art. 38, para. 1, item 2

).

Association “The Living Water of Bulgaria”

” has not been re-registered with the Registry Agency so far. And although the formal deadline for re-registration is until December 31, 2022, this does not exempt the association from the legal obligation to publish annual financial statements and annual activity reports.

Answers to questions under the APIA

BIRD.BG send an inquiry under the Access to Public Information Act to the Ministry of Justice. The information obtained confirmed our disclosure that the association of Desislava Radeva has not submitted reports.

Question: Is the Living Water of Bulgaria Association, Bulstat 177205198 registered with the Ministry of Justice as a legal entity with activities in public benefit, and when?

Answer: The Central Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (CRPLCC), maintained as a public database until 31.12.2022 of the registered until 31.12.2017 circumstances and announced acts, includes the legal entity “Living Water of Bulgaria”, a non-profit association in public benefit, with BULSTAT code 177205198, is entered in the register under No 20171009002 on 09.10.2017. E. No 424/2017

Question: Has the association “Living Water of Bulgaria” submitted reports on its activities, for which years and how they can be accessed?

Information: In view of the fact that the Ministry of Justice does not have the requested information from the applicant, on the grounds of Art. 32, para. 1 of the Access to Public Information Act, the application in this part has been forwarded under the competence of the Registry Agency the entries with address: 1111 Sofia, ul. 20 Elisaveta Bagryana No.

BIRD.BG sent questions to the Living Water of Bulgaria Association and requested the annual reports, but so far no response has been received.

The Presidential Bench for RIA Cadres

Another former RIA official in the presidential circle is the infamous Deputy Minister of Regional Development Zahari Hristov. It is said that Christ is
supported
by the Presidential Secretary for Domestic Policy Nikolay Koprinkov and that he is close to the circle around Georgi Gergov. Hristov was fired in 2021 by the previous caretaker government of Stefan Yanev and Minister Irena Komitova, after a road construction firm accused him of demanding a bribe of 10% to settle delayed payments. Zahari Hristov He again became Deputy Minister of Regional Development in the current caretaker government, appointed by President Radev in August 2022. Rumen Radev at the Unification celebrations in Plovdiv on September 6, 2022 (photo at the end of the text), which appears and the Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova. The presidency and the prosecutor’s office have been silent on the scandal for more than a year.

From left to right: Rumen Radev, Zahari Hristov, Iliana Yotova, Nikolay Koprinkov at the Unification celebrations in Plovdiv on September 6, 2022.

***

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