The „Golden Puddle“ at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint hasn’t dried up. This was revealed in a Facebook post by MP Ivaylo Mirchev from “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria“(WCC-DB) pary. He explained that there are reports from citizens indicating that the disinfection fee for vehicles has been reinstated. Furthermore:
„The „Golden Puddle“ at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint hasn’t dried up.
Citizens report that for several days the border fee for disinfection of vehicles has been reinstated, as foot-and-mouth disease has been detected in small ruminants.
A fee of BGN 4 is payable for this service at the checkpoint in cash. So far I understand, but the many questions arise when crossing passengers also have to pay BGN 3 in cash, which goes for the „transfer fee to the bank“, or another 75% of the amount for the service. There is no alternative payment method for the disinfection service – no POS terminal, no option for direct transfer via online banking—cash payment is mandatory, followed by a 3 BGN fee for the bank transfer.
The interesting part here is that the bank in question is none other than the well-known „Investbank“, which is owned by Mrs. Petya Slavova.
It’s noteworthy that this same bank serves the regional branches of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in nearly all border areas, including Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Vidin, Kyustendil, Pernik, and Haskovo, as well as Sofia City and Sofia District.
Our MPs will demand answers from the relevant institutions, namely the BFSA and the Ministry of Agriculture, regarding the following questions:
What procedure do the regional structures of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) follow when selecting their servicing bank?
Why are there no alternative ways to pay the disinfection fee that would prevent a „service charge“ of 75% of the cost of the service?
Why has the BFSA not requested that the servicing bank charge a fee proportional to the total amount paid by travelers?
We will publicly disclose the responses, the measures taken, and will do everything possible to stop this absurd practice.”
The Anti-Corruption Fund showed a map of unregulated construction waste dumps in Sofia
