The parliament elected Plamen Veselinov Todorov as a member of the Commission for Combating Corruption (CPC), BTA reports. He was also the only candidate for a member of the anti-corruption body from the parliament's quota.
"For" were 124 MPs from the parliamentary group (PG) of "Progressive Bulgaria" (PB). Against were 71 MPs - from GERB-SDF, "Democratic Bulgaria", "Continuing the Change" and "Vazrazhdane". There were no abstentions by MPs. The parliamentary group of the MRF did not participate in the vote.
Until today's election as a member of the CPC, Plamen Todorov is the director of the State Financial Inspection Agency (SFI), proposed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev.
During the discussion of the candidacy from "Democratic Bulgaria" they stated that they would not support it because during the hearing Todorov did not answer a number of questions, including on the case of the resort base in Albena of the SFI, as well as how he would react to political pressure on the anti-corruption commission. I did not hear a specific, convincing plan for transparency, said Dimitar Naydenov. In his words, the burden is not on the members of parliament to raise doubts, but on the candidate to dispel them with specific, clear answers. Did Nikolay Koprinkov propose this candidacy, asked Naydenov.
I had conversations with all of you and urged you to nominate your own candidates, replied the chairman of the parliamentary committee for combating corruption Dimitar Balev from "Progressive Bulgaria". It was not Koprinkov who proposed the candidate, it was I who proposed it, he said. And he explained that the Commission is a collective body and cannot be used as a "bat". In connection with the case with the base, there is a file in the prosecutor's office, the chairman of the committee for combating corruption specified.
People change at the top, the same ones stay below, commented Ivaylo Mirchev from "Democratic Bulgaria". Is this how the model fights, he asked. According to him, Todorov is extremely unprepared.
"We continue the change" will not support this candidacy, the person behind it is unknown, it is not Mr. Balev, commented Velislav Velichkov.
"Vazrazhdane" will also not support the candidacy, said Dimo Drenchev and specified that it is not because of the personal qualities of the candidate. During the hearing, I was left with the impression that he is the right candidate, but in our opinion, the existence of the commission is pointless, I do not think that it can conduct a meaningful investigation, explained the MP.
According to Miroslav Ivanov from "We continue the change", there should be a body that deals with combating corruption. He noted that in his statement Drenchev did not say anything against GERB and MRF, but something is being sought around Boyko Rashkov, given that, according to him, the KPK has been patronized by GERB and MRF for years.
Many of the PP are servilely forgetting that "Vazrazhdane" is the one that has refused to enter into coalitions with GERB over the years, Tsoncho Ganev replied. We did not appoint Desislava Atanasov as a constitutional judge or the deputy governors of the Bulgarian National Bank with them, he pointed out.
Plamen Todorov was born in 1979 in Pleven, indicated the chairman of the parliamentary committee for combating corruption Dimitar Balev when presenting the candidacy. He graduated from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Faculty of "Security" with a "bachelor" degree. Plamen Todorov holds a Master of Laws from the Southwestern University “Neofit Rilski“, Blagoevgrad, since 2007. He began his professional career at the Ministry of Interior in Pleven. Since 2017, he has been working at ADFI. He has undergone training at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest, Hungary, and internships in European institutions. Todorov possesses high professional and moral qualities necessary for a member of the CPC, Balev emphasized.