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Former state official sentenced to four years for abuse of funds

Fri, Mar 19 2010 10:29 CET

byThe Sofia Echo staff

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Former state official sentenced to four years for abuse of funds

Photo: Georgi Kozhouharov

Assen Droumev, former head of the state Agriculture Fund, was sentenced to four years imprisonment on March 18 2010.

The Sofia City Court found Droumev guilty of signing deals that were damaging to the Fund and for abuse of funds under the European Union Sapard programme.

Droumev had approved Sapard payments amounting to a total of 49 million leva, to 14 companies, who did not meet the criteria to receive such money.

The money was supposed to be allocated to vegetable producers but instead went to importers of vegetables. He was also sentenced to pay 5000 leva in fines and cover the court's expenses for his trial. Droumev is also banned from taking a public position for the next seven years.

According to his defence, the projects in question had been audited by the European Commission which did not find the irregularities uncovered by Bulgarian prosecutors.

This is Droumev's second sentence. In May 2009, he was sentenced to three years' probation for signing deals that cost the Fund's budget 480 000 leva. This sentence is pending appeal.

Droumev is currently on trial over another set of charges of alleged embezzlement. This case is still ongoing.

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Comments

Anonymous ivaylo chatov Mon, Mar 22 2010 08:28 CET
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excellent news. the fine seems a little too lenient, but it is a step in the right direction.


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