EU Named the Guilty for the Suspended PHARE Funding

The first one is Veselin Georgiev, better known in Bulgaria as Batko - former head of "Republic Road Infrastructure" Fund. The second one is Lyubomir Taushanov - almost unknown out of the Ministry of Finance - until May 2008 he was the manager of the Central Finance and Contracts Unit by the Ministry of Finance, 24 Chasa daily said.

Michael Lee explains to Meglena Plugchieva and to the national coordinator Dimitar Ivanovski that EC has noted the measures taken for the PHARE programme as well as the additional control that had been introduced but there were still problems to be solved.

Following up of the detected suspicions for irregularities, fraud and conflict of interests was described as risky. No correctional measures have been taken towards the figures in the administration and no proceedings have been started against anybody. The risk remains for political intervention in funding management.

Plugchieva confirmed for Sega daily that Veselin Georgiev and Lyubimir Taushanov are the two Bulgarians referred to by Brussels.

So far the only thing that happened to them is that they both have been fired. The first one is no longer the head of the road fund and EU finance and contracts no longer depend on the second one.