TAX DECLARATIONS SIGNED BY MURKY BULGARIAN MEDIA MOGUL ARE IDENTICAL TO DATA FROM THE NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE SITE Mind the horns!

“Do you wonder why the leadership of the National Audit Office (NAO) has not yet been selected? Because Deliyan Peevski (murky alleged media mogul and Member of the Parliament elected on the ticker of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, the party largely representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria – editor’s note) wants to foist an employee, who, for years, has recorded the information database online, including his own tax declarations, with a content different from what was actually submitted. This is why journalistic internet-based investigations cannot get to the bottom of how is it possible for this man to own newspapers, yet such ownership is nonexistent online,” said the leader of “Movement 21” and former Socialist Tatyana Doncheva before Bulgaria On Air TV a few days ago.

Bivol requested under the Access to Public Information Act and received from NAO certified copies of Deliyan Peevski’s tax declarations as MP for the period 2009 – 2013. Activists from the “Protest Network” (organization of anti-government protesters in the country – editor’s note) helped us to obtain the documents.

The said documents are tax declarations in Excel format, which the legally responsible person downloads from the NAO site and fills in on a computer. The declarations are printed, signed in person and sent to NAO. In the documents obtained by us, a signature resembling Deliyan Peevski’s signature is seen on each sheet.

A crosscheck showed a complete match between data published on the NAO website and the one filled on paper, bearing Peevski’s signature.

In 2010, MP Deliyan Peevski has declared income received in 2009 in the amount of 33 000 levs from salaries and 21 122 levs from “rentals or other pecuniary income from granting the use of rights or property”.

In 2011, Peevski has declared only 44 579 levs from salaries.

In 2012, he has declared 61 635 levs from salaries and from savings from previous years.

In 2013, Peevski filed three declarations – current for 2012, for leaving the 41^st Parliament in 2013 and for taking office as a Member of the new 42^nd Parliament.

Under the law, when leaving and entering the Parliament, each lawmaker declares all his/her assets and real estate. He declared two apartments and a house in Sofia acquired in 2002, 2003 and 2004, an Opel automobile valued at 1 000 levs and a deposit of 52 756 levs.

A comparison between this declaration and the one Peevski submitted as MP in 2009, shows that he got rich by just over 20 000 levs and keeps the money in a bank deposit.

As noted earlier, the prices of properties, acquired by Peevski, seem unrealistically low: an apartment of 262 square meters for 50 000 levs in 2002, and a house of 190 square meters for about 72 500 levs. It is not clear how and with what income the young Peevski acquired these properties at the time when he was still an undergraduate college student.

In April 2014, Peevski declared only 17 056 levs from salaries and savings accrued throughout 2013, a modest amount undoubtedly associated with a “pay cut” because the MP, like Ahmed Dogan, (honorary lifetime Chairman of DPS – editor’s note) does not demean himself by going to work in the Parliament and gets fined for it.

Tatyana Doncheva: “Look Further Back in Time”

We approached for comment on these facts Tatyana Doncheva, who confirmed that she has obtained the information on tempering with the declarations from a reliable source. She advised media to look back in time when Peevski was Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Disasters and Emergency Situations.

Bivol inquired with NAO about these declarations and the declarations completed by Peevski in his capacity of investigator.

Where Is the Money for this “Chopard”?

Officially, Peevski does not participate in companies; has no income from stock trading, no lottery or sweepstakes gains, no donations, bank loans or other external sources of wealth beyond his work as lawmaker.

Meanwhile, “the successful young man” publically demonstrates a lavish lifestyle; uses private security, housing and expensive cars that he cannot finance only with his parliamentary salary, which has been drastically cut”.

Yesterday, vigilant reporters from the “Dnevnik” news site noticed that Peevski was wearing an expensive gold watch. According to reports, it is a Calibre de Cartie brand, which is made of 18 carat rose gold and costs around 37 000 euros.

A reader of Bivol, however, informed that the watch is more likely a Chopard Classic Manufactum. This brand is cheaper – “only” 12 000 euros.

In recent days, there have been mounting statements coming from bankers and politicians (so far without evidence) that Deliyan Peevski actually control business for dozens or even hundreds of millions, and has default loans granted by Tsvetan Vasilev’s Bank – Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB). However, under the law, Peevski has no right to engage in business; has completed the respective tax declarations, and could face prosecution if they include false information.

http://parliament.bg/pub/REG/142544Delqn_Peevski_t.1.pdf

http://parliament.bg/pub/REG/142635Delqn_Peevski_t.2.pdf

“Media Mogul” behind Mom’s Back

Deliyan Peevski also admitted that he owns and controls a number of media. His mother Irena Krasteva is their formal owner. An investigation of Bivol revealed that in 2007 she has purchased the press group publisher of newspapers “Telegraph”, “Monitor” and “Politics” with a loan from KTB for 12 million levs. However, it was paid off in just months by KTB owner Tsvetan Vasilev, who is currently in conflict with Peevski. Despite the indisputable documentary evidence of lending to connected parties, even now KTB keeps denying that it has credited media.