site.btaUPDATED Economy Ministry Asks Anti-Corruption Commission to Look for Possible Conflict of Interest with Ex-Minister's Chef de Cabinet

The Economy Ministry Monday said that it has asked the anti-corruption and conflict-of-interest commission to probe several contracts that have been signed with the same law firm under former Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Korneliya Ninova and look for possible conflict of interest with Ninova's chef de cabinet.

Kaloyan Metodiev, Ninova's chef de cabinet at the Economy Ministry, put out a statement shortly following the Ministry's, to deny any conflict of interest and say that he is not being checked by the conflict-of-interest commission.

The Economy Ministry said it has found out that contracts for legal services for more than BGN 400,000 had been signed by companies in the Economy Ministry system with the said law firm. Most of the contracts were signed in June-August after direct negotiation, and many of them have solid clauses for early termination penalties. 

Of the 13 companies checked to date, 7 have contracts with the same law firm. The majority of these were concluded by the State Consolidation Company and its subsidiaries. In some of the contracts the money was paid unusually fast and one of them was paid fully in advance.

The Ministry has been alerted that one of the partners in this law firm is in direct relation to the former Economy Minister's chef de cabinet. Furthermore, the same law firm allegedly represented Ninova in her personal litigation.