Bulgaria to create own 'blacklist' after US sanctioned Bulgarian officials, businessmen

Bulgaria’s interim government on June 4 announced that it will be creating a “blacklist” of companies and people associated with three prominent Bulgarians hit by sanctions imposed by the US for their alleged “extensive roles in corruption”. According to RFE/RL media outlet, all state and local authorities will be banned from working with former parliament member Delyan Peevski, oligarch Vassil Bozhkov, and top intelligence official Ilko Zhelyazkov. The interim cabinet said that the restrictions will also apply to companies the three men own or control and all individuals or companies said to be linked to them. 

The Bulgarian government’s move comes after the US sanctioned six Bulgarian public officials and businessmen, as well as their networks encompassing 64 entities, for their alleged roles in corruption. The US State Department said that the sanctions on the people and companies effectively prevent them from accessing the US financial system, freeze any of their US assets and bar Americans from dealing with them. It said the move was its single biggest action targeting corruption to date.

The Bulgarian cabinet, on the other hand, said that the move aims to protect companies with state and municipal participation and other spending units from falling within the scope of the sanctions. It added that it was setting up a working group to prepare its blacklist as a “matter of urgency”. Anyone related to or who has worked with the individuals and companies sanctioned by the US is to be included. 

About the three prominent Bulgarians hit by sanctions

Meanwhile, according to AP, Delyan Peevski, who controlled large swaths of the Bulgarian media landscape, is considered one of the most powerful people in the country. He served in parliament as a member of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, which is mostly made up of ethnic Turks. The Bulgarian opposition accuses Peevski of controlling the former ruling GERB party, including ministers in the government of former PM Boyko Borisov, from behind the scenes.

Vassil Bozhkov is one of Bulgaria's richest individuals, having made his fortune in the country's gambling industry. He fled Bulgaria last year for Dubai amid accusations of corruption. Earlier this year, he even formed the Bulgaria Summer political party, which was among the 64 entities put on the Treasury Department sanctions list. 

Following US sanctions, Ilko Zhelyazkov, an official in the National Bureau for Control on Special intelligence-gathering Devices, resigned from his post. Peevski alleged used him as an intermediary and accomplice to peddle influence and pay bribes to protect himself from public scrutiny. He even helped to exert influence over key institutions and sectors in Bulgarian society.

(Image: AP)