Government official claims there is no corruption in Bulgaria's privatization BNN - 2003/5/27
Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Vasilev said Tuesday the government had succeeded to quell corruption in the Balkan country's privatization.

"The new government hasn't made any deal with a bidder, who didn't place the highest bid," Vasilev told a public discussion about crime, corruption and economy in Sofia.

"As a minister of economy I haven't received any singnals of corruption in the Privatization Agency in the past couple of years," Vasilev added.

"Privatization and customs are the two main sources of corruption in Bulgaria," said Ognyan Shentov from the non-government Center for Studies of Democracy.

He alleged that murky interests were involved in the abortive government attempts to sell state tobacco monopoly Bulgartabac and the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company earlier this year.

"The Financial Intelligence Agency has signals and concrete evidence about attempts to legalize capitals with unclear origin through privatization deals in our country," the agency's chief Vasil Kirov told the participants in the discussion. He would not disclose details.

International lenders and investors have repeatedly urged Bulgaria to take vehement steps against corruption, which is seen as a key challenge to the Balkan country.

According to grassroots anti-corruption groups, the black market economy in Bulgaria accounts for more than 30% of the country's gross domestic product.


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