In a statement to the media, the former Director of the Municipal Enterprise "Cemetery Parks" Rumen Dimitrov called his disciplinary dismissal "illegal, pre-arranged and motivated by political, not legal, considerations", informs dariknews.bg
A few days ago, the Sofia Municipality announced that as a result of an inspection by the "Anti-Corruption Inspectorate" at the Municipality, the Director of the Municipal Enterprise "Cemetery Parks" Rumen Dimitrov was disciplinary dismissed due to illegal practices. The inspection found illegal and non-transparent spending of public funds, failure to comply with budget discipline, hiring people without the necessary education and experience, as well as a lack of control over the processing of personal data.
Dimitrov's position states that the procedure under the Labor Code has been “grossly violated“. The employer is obliged to actually listen to the employee and discuss the explanations given before imposing a penalty. In my case, the dismissal order was actually prepared in advance, while I was still writing my explanations, Dimitrov added.
According to him, immediately after the explanations were provided, the order was served, without the opportunity to consider the arguments presented. The former director also indicated that a significant part of the alleged violations are outside the preclusive periods under Art. 194 of the Labor Code.
„The law is categorical – disciplinary punishment can be imposed no later than two months from the employer's knowledge of the violation. The Sofia Municipality knew about all actions, contracts, appointments and expenses at the time of their implementation, because the OP „Cemetery Parks“ is not an independent legal entity, but a specialized unit of the Sofia Municipality, which acts on behalf and at the expense of the municipality“, the position says.
The company's regulations explicitly stipulate that all revenues go to the budget of the Sofia Municipality, all expenses are made according to the rules of the municipal budget, and contracts are concluded by the mayor of the Sofia Municipality or by his authorization. Therefore, it cannot be claimed in 2026 that „new knowledge“ for actions that were known and controlled by the municipality itself back in 2024 and 2025, Dimitrov wrote in the position.
“There is an attempt to transfer institutional and administrative problems to one person through a disciplinary procedure, therefore I will defend my rights in court and I am convinced that the court will establish the illegality of this dismissal“, Rumen Dimitrov also said.