Who Is Weaving a Web of Deception around the Project to Build on Wild Bulgarian Beach? Mind the horns!

The Minister of Investment Planning, Ivan Danov, best known for petty swindling of the welfare system in France, disproved the company “Madara Europe” regarding its investment project in one of the few remaining unspoiled beaches in Bulgaria – Karadere.

“There is no project for construction in Karadere. There are no construction documents or cadastral maps … just some images.”

“What is new here is not a project, just some Photoshop visuals taken from somewhere… They could have been taken from anywhere and from elsewhere. In terms of documentation of the territory, such procedure has not been started in the municipality of Byala,” said Danov, cited by the public radio BNR. He also denied involvement of architect Georgiy Stanishev, brother of Sergei Stanishev (leader of the senior partner in the current government – the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, of the Party of European Socialists, PES, and former Prime Minister of Bulgaria – editor’s note).

The words of the Minister came on the heels of categorical statements of representatives of “Madara Europe” that there were both such project and readiness to start construction of a large vacation village in September. In the documents of the company, filed with the Trade Registry, it is written that “a project called “Black Sea Gardens” has been developed by the internationally recognized architectural design office Foster + Partners (www.fosterandpartners.com) to the stage of detailed territorial development plan.”

Such statements can also be found in documentation submitted by “Madara Europe” to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy, Economy and Tourism in April 2013, just before the general elections, in applying to receive a first class investor certificate. The documents leaked online through the anonymous sharing platform Balkanleaks and are marked as “strictly confidential.” In them, it is stressed repeatedly that the project is designed by the architectural office of Norman Foster. However, the Ministry of Energy, Economy and Tourism has given a negative opinion in July 2013.

It is not clear exactly what documents has “Madara Europe” resubmitted now, but if the words of Ivan Danov that there is no such project are true, it is absolutely inexplicable how and why the government has just approved institutional support for construction in Karadere.

Another hypothesis is that statements of officials like Danov have the sole purpose of covering-up and refuting the facts about the involvement of architect Georgiy Stanishev in this project. His participation has been proven with evidence in the form of documents and the swift approval of the project by the current government of Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski raises doubts about severe conflict of interest in the family of the Head of BSP and PES – Sergei Stanishev.

TV air was also inundated with lies from investors who denied any involvement of their company with illegal construction in Shabla, another wild beach. However, documents submitted to the Ministry of Energy, Economy and Tourism by the same investors further disclose an ownership structure of “Madara Europe,” which includes “Bulgarian Properties Investment Trust.” This is precisely the company that was ordered to stop construction of a vacation village in Shabla because it had deceived institutions, according to the final rule of the Supreme Administrative Court.

Some individuals lie shamelessly about the project Karadere, but documents that we are providing in full to our readers put things together:

1. There is a project and it is the same project of Norman Foster, in which architect Georgiy Stanishev has been involved as partner;

2. These same investors defrauded institutions and violated Bulgarian legislation in Shabla.

Documentation, submitted to the Ministry of Energy, Economy and Tourism, also reveals what investors expect from the state: to build their road, water and sewage infrastructure, plus a treatment plant in order for them to be able to earn tens of millions from the sale of apartments.