How Bulgarian Financial Supervision Boss Lied on Live TV about His Credit Card Mind the horns!

On Monday, in the Hello Bulgaria morning talk show on Nova TV, FSC boss Stoyan Mavrodiev denied information published by Bivol that he has declared a credit card with a limit of 60,000 euro and threatened to sue us.

Host Annie Tsolova: A check of our colleagues from Bivol – Mavrodiev has declared credit cards with huge credit lines of 60,000…

Stoyan Mavrodiev: Look, let’s not water down the topic…

AT: euro.

SM: It’s not interesting. There are declarations…

AT: Is that true?

SM: It is not true, of course.

AT: There is no card with a credit line of 60,000 euro?

SM: And I will sue them. I do not have a credit card with a credit line of 60,000 euro.

AT: And what is the limit of your credit card?

SM: 60,000 levs, not euro.

AT: How come…

SM: A credit card issued many years ago, back in 2006-2007.

AT: In your capacity of what?

SM: In my capacity of a person working in the private sector.

Bivol referred in its publication to the online registry maintained by NAO. Mavrodiev’s declarations can be viewed online there by years – from 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. For 2014, Mavrodiev has submitted only a notification that there was no change in the circumstances from the previous year.

After Mavrodiev practically accused us of lying and denied the authenticity of the data on the site, Bivol requested from NAO the certified copies of the originals of all declarations, signed by Stoyan Mavrodiev.

The facts are undeniable; Mavrodiev is lying.

The declaration from 2013 on the income and property status in 2012, explicitly notes the existence of two credit cards – a card with a credit line of 60,000 euro and a second card with a credit line of 40,000 levs. The equivalent in levs for the card in euro is also listed.

Bivol already approached with questions, under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA), the Speaker of the Parliament, who is Mavrodiev’s employer. We are asking which banks have issued the credit cards and on what dates.

All circumstances in the property status of officials entering office must be declared under the Public Listing of Property Act, and then only if there is a change in them.

Mavrodiev, himself, is aware of this disposition of the law. When we asked the question about how he was able to repay in a year a mortgage of 200,000 euro, the FSC Head, in his right to reply, played the role of a teacher and explained that the loan had not been repaid, but he was not required to declare it each year.

Mavrodiev’s declarations show that he has not declared any credit cards for 2009 and 2010. If his words on live TV that he had a credit card as early as 2007 are true, than this is a violation.

In 2011, he already declared a new circumstance – one credit card in levs.

In 2012, Stoyan Mavrodiev has signed a declaration listing two credit cards with limits of 60,000 euro and 40,000 levs. Click on the image to enlarge it.

He declared two cards in 2012 – in levs and euro (see the facsimile above). The appearance of the card with the limit of 60,000 euros means that this is a new circumstance that occurred in 2012. The words of Mavrodiev in the TV interview that there was no such credit card with such limit are simply a lie.

The question as to WHY this man, occupying such an important position in the State administration, is publicly lying about his own documents, personally submitted by him remains open. Unless the signature on these documents is not Mavrodiev’s and the man simply does not know # Who filled his property declarations and what is their content.

The issuance of a credit card with such credit line raises many questions. Banking experts, with whom Bivol consulted, explained that this is only possible if the customer left a deposit in such amount. Mavrodiev, however, did not mention such a circumstance, and he has not declared it.

Normal limits of credit cards vary from 15% to 30% from the annual remuneration. In Mavrodiev’s case, who in 2012 made about 54,000 levs per year, the maximum credit line would be 16,000 levs. What was the collateral allowing the financial supervisor to obtain a card with an eight-times higher limit and does this have anything to do with his post?

One way or another, it remains to be seen what Mavrodiev will write in his last declaration that he should fill when leaving office. Something that he must do voluntarily, after his lies became known by the entire country.

In an unfortunate development, Bivol formally requested from Nova TV a right of reply over the unacceptable lies of the Chairman of the FSC regarding our publication. In addition to feeling as being treated unfairly, we also felt obliged to announce and punctually explain, with concrete evidence and documents, the truth to the purposely deceived TV audience. Our colleagues did not grant us this right and we understand them. Obviously, there are other, more complex reasons than truth and objectivity. It is a pity for the Bulgarian society, which is heavily exposed and manipulated by different parties. It is a pity that authoritative government officials, invested with great power, are using this power to attack media that reveal crucial realities to people and do not agree to participate in the propaganda chorus of the ruling mafia. It is a pity that such public officials are not ashamed to openly and brazenly lie to the public; to blatantly manipulate and slander at the same time. And from the historical wisdom of our people we know that the one who lies is also stealing.

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