Sofia - Several people with criminal indictments have joined
the race in Bulgaria's first parliamentary election since it joined
the European Union, scheduled for July 5. In doing so, they have
conspicuously staved off their rendezvous with justice.
A candidate for a legislative seat must have the same conditions
as his rival, the law says. So, those being processed are released
from prison and trials are interrupted.
On Wednesday, the new immunity of a prospective deputy hampered
the largest trial, so far at least, of people accused of abusing EU
funds, a widespread practice that cost Bulgaria a billion dollars in
development aid in 2008, a year after it became an EU member.
When Ivan Ivanov - one of those on trial for forging documents to
embezzle 7.5 million euros (10.5 million dollars) of EU funds for
Bulgaria's agriculture - decided to run for parliament, the court
also had to suspend proceedings against eight other defendants.
At that, the investigation and trial, launched in February, were
already late, coming only after the EU anti-corruption watchdog OLAF
proved that Bulgarian documents showing the disbursement of aid were
crooked.
The group on the suspended trial had forged documents to hide that
money for new food-processing machinery was spent on second-hand
machines - the difference in the price disappeared in their pockets,
prosecutors said.
Protection of would-be legislators from prosecution also tripped
up the court in Dupnica, a town 60 kilometres south of Sofia, which
had to release two partners in a well-run racketeering outfit.
Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, former policemen who turned to
more lucrative business on the other side of the law, easily paid
50,000 leva (35,500 dollars) for bail - each - and walked off to
campaign in politics.
They had been arrested and accused of blackmail, extortion,
prostitution, torture and drug trafficking, but now a jump from
prison into parliament would stave off their trial as long as their
mandate lasts - four years in case of a stable government.
Previously, the former deputy premier, Aleksandar Tomov,
provisionally got off the hook earlier owing to his - it turned out
futile - campaign for a seat in the European Parliament.
Tomov is accused of embezzling millions of dollars he was the
director of the CSKA Sofia football club and the Kremikovci steel
mill.
Though European elections came and went, he is not returning to
the courthouse just yet, because now he is running for the Bulgarian
parliament.
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