The Minister of Agriculture Ivan Ivanov revealed serious violations in the conduct of public procurement in „Irrigation Systems“. They were found during an internal audit of the company.
He showed that the tenders were conducted entirely for the benefit of certain companies. Some participants were disqualified at the expense of others. According to Ivanov, all this could even lead to the draining of „Irrigation Systems“ and decapitalization of the company. Obtaining European funding could also be put at risk.
The previous leadership refused to sign letters terminating the public procurement in question. Therefore, he was removed from his posts. A new board was appointed, headed by Nikolai Chalakov.
At the moment, none of these controversial public procurements is at the stage of signing a contract with the State Fund „Agriculture“. Therefore, they will be terminated and there is no risk of receiving European funds. They can be used by the end of 2025 and there is time for new public procurement.
Ivanov also believes that half of the 70-member administration of Irrigation Systems should be released. According to him, the state was inflated and salaries were too high. There, employees receive about 2,500-3,000 levs. At the same time, local engineers charge only BGN 800-900.
Against this background, the company has many liabilities and most of its assets are currently seized. All revealed abuses during the audit were handed over to the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security.
