The executive director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Hristo Valchanov, has been dismissed. This is happening by order of Prime Minister Galab Donev.
The former deputy executive director of the Agency, Ivan Shikov, will take over the post. The rollover is at the suggestion of the Minister of Agriculture Yavor Gechev.
We remind you that this is happening after „We continue the change“ submitted a report to the State Agency „National Security“ in connection with inaction in protecting the interests of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the state of the strategic object of importance for national security at the border crossing „Captain Andreevo“.
At the moment, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the company „Eurolab 2011“ are suing for the contract for the rental of premises at the border crossing. The previous management of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency with executive director Prof. Hristo Daskalov found that the auction for the buildings was conducted illegally and that the lease agreement with the private company was null and void. In order to protect the public interest, earlier this year Prof. Daskalov issued a series of orders aimed at legal settlement of the matter.
The orders have been appealed by the private company Eurolab 2011. It is noteworthy that after the removal of Prof. Daskalov at the beginning of October and the appointment of Hristo Valchanov as executive director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, the agency has lost all interest in protecting state interests. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency does not send its representatives to the scheduled meetings in a number of cases, including the loading and unloading activities at the border crossing and the transportation of laboratory samples. After October 10, long-term employees of the Legal Directorate of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, who had previously performed their duties in good faith in the cases related to the state interests of „Captain Andreevo“, were removed without reasons.
The behavior of the leadership of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency in the case related to the determination of the tenant of the „Captain Andreevo“ buildings is completely perplexing. The new executive director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Hristo Valchanov, appointed by the caretaker government, did not fulfill the legal requirement to pay a state fee of BGN 70 on the date of filing the cassation appeal. As a result, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency loses the opportunity to appeal, the court’s decision is in favor of „Eurolab 2011“ and to the detriment of the state agency and the public interest, according to „We continue the change“.
The party recalls that Valchanov served as director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency until the end of 2021. It is he who initiates the procedure for leasing public state-owned properties to „Captain Andreevo“. In December 2021, Eurolab 2011 takes control of a substantial part of the buildings.
„We continue the change“ insists on examining the question of whether the actions of Hristo Valchanov are not a crime within the meaning of the Criminal Code. Having lost the right to appeal, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency creates a risk at a strategic site of importance for national security that an activity is carried out by a person about whom there are reasonable concerns that it harms several economic sectors and brings reputational damage to Bulgaria. The latter have particularly severe consequences, especially in the context of the country’s attempts to become part of the Schengen area.
A few months ago, in relation to the case of the „Captain Andreevo“ border crossing, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture from the „Petkov“ cabinet, Ivan Hristanov, submitted detailed reports to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office and the State Department of Public Security, and in the work on the case, a significant part of the state’s actions were discussed in official order with employees of the National Security State Agency. There are no data on actions taken on the reported signals.
