Public procurement for 25m euros BGN spent “in the dark” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Deputy Prime Minister for Justice Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the period 2017 – 2021 Ekaterina Zaharieva, one of the closest people of Boyko Borisov, has bypassed the conduct of open public procurement procedures more than 25 times in 4 years. The total value of the activities for which the open procedures have been bypassed exceeds BGN 25 million. excluding VAT.

Texts of the law applicable to public procurement in the fields of “security” and “defense” in the supply and maintenance of military equipment, for example, as well as the texts for the presence of “exceptional circumstances”, are used in order to justify limiting the range of possible contractors, and even to proceed directly to direct assignment to a pre-selected specific contractor.

This shows information received by the BRRD after an inquiry under the Access to Public Information Act.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the “modest” contracting authorities in the state administration. The budget for “absorption” is incomparable to that of RIA for example. After Mrs. Zaharieva took the helm of our diplomacy in mid-2017, the use of the exceptions in the Public Procurement Act suddenly began to be used. This coincides with the appointment of Maya Andonova-Genova, who was brought by her to the Ministry as Director of the Property Management Directorate.

The Zaharieva-Genova tandem visibly concentrates in the field of information and telecommunication technologies and distributes money to almost all major players in the sector on the principle “something to everyone, and to some more”, without allowing real competition and formalizing again the tacit principle during GERB’s “sharing” of orders in the IT sector.

It is noteworthy not only that the approach is the same as from Borisov’s jeep, from where millions fly in (almost) all directions. Unlike the visible bundles from the jeep, however, here the choice of contractor is (semi)dark, and for several of the contracts their value is additionally classified with a level of classification “confidential”.

Thus, they were assigned from “monitoring the information and communication structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, through “delivery of peripherals”, all the way to “printing visa stickers”, all activities that are neither directly nor indirectly related to the defense or security of the country.

Who are the most interesting beneficiaries?

First of all, the struggling desperately for a place on the IT market, but otherwise on duty winner in the selection of a teller during the elections state “Information Services” AD. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own Information and Communication Services Directorate, it methodically during the time of Ekaterina Zaharieva poured money into the state-owned company, duplicating its functions.

Thus, for her 4 years in power, the tandem between Zaharieva and Andonova-Genova has provided them with almost BGN 2.5 million. financing (the amount of one of the contracts is classified “confidential”), adding the many smaller contracts with the company, mentioned in the information under the APIA. However, only one contract from 2017 for BGN 988,800 is public. It remains a mystery what the people from “Information Services” have actually done, which is different from what the salaried IT specialists in the Ministry do, and what this requires.

The other recipient of “money for nothing” is IBS – Bulgaria“Ltd., which, in addition to half a million leva received directly and without a procedure, for post-warranty maintenance of an information system whose rights and codes the ministry actually owns, has received another half a million leva without a public procurement procedure for granting software licenses to IBM, which the Ministry practically had no real need, given the software versions, with whom he worked.

The real winner of the game is.”Syensis” AD with won almost 5 million leva. Thus, as well as “Telelink Business Services” EAD with 3.8 mln. Lv. The first company belongs to Nikolay Medarov, husband of the CEC chairman from the quota of GERB in the period 2011 – 2013 Krasimira Medarova, and behind the second can be seen the shadow of Spas Rusev.

A larger or smaller crumb, in order to have obvious peace in the IT space and not to raise unnecessary questions, is thrown to the “competitors” by “Lirex BG” Ltd for 2.9 million. BGN , and ‘Kontrax” for 600 000 lv. Their traces lead to the BSP, the Ministry of Interior, the collapse of the Commercial Register in 2018, etc.

However, it seems that the tandem has done its main job and (almost) everyone is satisfied. Especially the chiefs, who retained their posts under both caretaker governments.

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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!