{"id":46055,"date":"2019-03-20T16:23:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T13:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bivol.bg\/?p=46055"},"modified":"2019-03-25T11:17:54","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T09:17:54","slug":"bulgarian-ruling-party-top-functionaries-acquire-posh-but-cheap-apartments-in-sofia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bivol.bg\/en\/bulgarian-ruling-party-top-functionaries-acquire-posh-but-cheap-apartments-in-sofia.html","title":{"rendered":"Bulgarian Ruling Party Top Functionaries Acquire Posh but Cheap Apartments in Sofia"},"content":{"rendered":"

The company Arteks has sold apartments at questionably low prices not only to Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Deputy Chairman of the ruling party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and former Interior Minister, but also to Justice Minister and former Speaker of Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva<\/b> and to lawmaker and former Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov<\/b>, both also from GERB, according to entries in the Property Register. <\/span><\/p>\n

The deals have been concluded in the summer of 2018. Tsetska Tsacheva, together with her sister, has acquired 198 square meters for EUR 670 per square meter. A company of Vezhdi Rashidov has paid slightly more \u2013 EUR 856 per square meter for 116 square meters in the same building and has acquired another apartment in a new building on \u201cTintyava\u201d Street, all in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, March 19, Free Europe<\/i> announced<\/span><\/a> that Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who is also the leader of GERB\u2019s parliamentary group, has acquired a luxury apartment with a private VIP elevator and a separate garage for two cars at the price of EUR 627 per square meter, which is much lower than the market one. The market prices for housing in this Sofia neighborhood start at EUR 2,600 per square meter, while the condominium building where Tsvetanov’s apartment is located is among the most exclusive in the capital.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to details<\/span><\/a>, revealed by Free Europe<\/i>, this acquisition happened through a swap where Tsvetanov exchanged two apartments for the one in the \u201cArteks\u201d building. On the same day – June 12, 2018, the two apartments were resold by Arteks to the former GERB IT expert and member of GERB\u2019s election campaign management, Simeon Velkov<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, relations between Arteks and prominent GERB functionaries don\u2019t stop here. A month and a half later, Tsetska Tsacheva and her sister Irina acquired from the same company an apartment of 198.7 square meters and a 20 square meter garage at 20 \u201cYuri Gagarin\u201d Street in the Iztok (East) district for just BGN 285,740 leva, which is EUR 670 per square meter, a little more than what Tsvetanov has paid. The Minister of Justice owns 3\/4 of the property, and her sister 1\/4.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tsetska Tsacheva has acquired an apartment at a much lower price than the market one<\/i><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

It is easy to verify that this price is very low. Only a month before the deal with Tsacheva, a completely identical apartment in the same building (with a slightly larger garage) was sold for BGN 65,000 more. However, this client has no relationship with GERB. According to an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Fund<\/i>, the difference between the market price and the price paid by Tsacheva and her sister is at least EUR 2,000 per square meter.<\/span><\/p>\n