Anti -Corruption Fund revealed a public money scheme to lay road marking
« Diary » premises the investigation of the Anti -Corruption Fund (ACF) for a corruption scheme for millions and set public procurement at the Road Infrastructure Agency (AIP). It is entitled « API and the 7 percent » and is based on documents and the testimony of Anton Taskov, owner of « Bitulat » Ltd., one of the leading companies for the placement of road marking in Bulgaria.
According to Taskov, public money for the laying of road marking were diverted as bribery for senior civil servants and related persons. This happened through a hollow company in a consortium, part of which was also Bitulat Ltd. In 2019, the RIA announced a auction for launching road marking in the six planning regions in Bulgaria. Taskov claims that shortly before the auction, Miroslav Manolov, a former director at Trace Group Hold AD, is associated with him – a company that a number of media publications are involved in scandals for corruption in road construction. Manolov tells Taskov that he can arrange to win one of the areas in the auction with responsible persons at the Road Infrastructure Agency. He wants to receive 7% of the contract amount for this service.
« From Miroslav Manolov, I was told that one should be given 5% in order to be able to » stimulate and give objects « and 2% for it, » Taskov testified in the video of ACF.
| According to Taskov Miroslav Manolov, he stated that the 5 percent would go for illegal commissions of senior civil servants, among which he mentions the name of Nikolay Nankov. Nankov is Minister of Regional Development and Public Works in the third government of Boyko Borisov from 2017 until September 20, 2018, when he resigned due to heavy SvogeS |
Less than a month later, Prime Minister Borisov appoints him again-this time as Deputy Minister of Regional Development, and since April 2019, the Road Infrastructure Agency also includes in his field. Media materials from 2019 cite Mr. Nankov’s position as a representative of the MRDPW precisely on topics related to the API 1. In this post, Nankov remains until May 2021.
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In a written response to the ACF Nikolay Nankov, he denied the coordination of the work of the RIA to be in his springs as Deputy Minister, and also arranging an order of the Minister of Regional Development of October 2018 in this sense. However, upon re-request, Mr. Nankov provided a supplementary order of April 2019, which shows that the RIA was then added to the spators for which he is responsible. Mr. Nankov did not answer the ACF question whether he knew Miroslav Manolov, but stated that he would file a case of abuse in connection with the allegations of unregulated practices that undermine his good name.
| « ACF emphasizes that it does not have information on which RIA officials were diverted, and whether some of them reached Nikolay Nankov. |
We publish these allegations because of the great public importance of the data on abuses in the RIA and we are calling for the responsible institutions for immediate inspection, « commented Sofia Zheleva, a legal advisor to the anti -corruption fund. In order to participate in the auction, the company of Taskov creates » Bitulati Life « , with the company » BELICIAN HOME « EOOD. Vasileva.
According to the documents « Belichenski Houses » Ltd. deals with hotel services and tourism. This does not prevent the company from becoming part of a road marking consortium in 2019 without making a clear contribution to the performance of the contract with the RIA. According to the story of Anton Taskov, Belichanski Houses Ltd. does not perform any public procurement activities, but it is used as a hollow company whose accounts deviate a 7% bribe, some of which were also intended for the engaged civil servants.
In 2020, the RIA ranked Consortium Bitulat 2018 in the first place in the auction for the Southwestern region and in the beginning of 2021 the association signed a contract and an annex for it for a total value of BGN 18.9 million. The total amount transferred to the account of « BELIANSKI Houses » Ltd. under this contract is BGN 1 170 000.
| The ACF verification confirmed that within a few days after each payment for the activity carried out by the Road Infrastructure Agency Taskov Bitulat Ltd. transferred 7% of the amount on the account of « BELIC HOUSE » EOOD. |
In 2023, at the time of Minister Ivan Shishkov, a new competition for the laying of road marking, in which Anton Taskov participated both within the Consortium Bitulat 2018, launched in the second office of Pigeon Donev, with his company « Signaling » OOD. The ACF team checked the technical proposals of the two candidates and found that they were identical. However, the RIA gives them two completely different estimates: when the offer was submitted on behalf of « Consortium Bitulat 2018 », the RIA estimates it with 25 points, and when it was submitted by « Signaling » Ltd. – with 0 points. Thus, Consortium Bitulat 2018 is ranked first.
« There is no logical and legal explanation that the same offer gets a radically different result, depending on who submit it. This circumstance strongly suggests the presence of a pre -set scheme for winning the auction from the consortium, in which the hollow company » Belichenski Houses « is involved, » commented Sofia Zheleva.
In December 2023, at the time of Minister Andrei Tsekov in the government of Nikolay Denkov, Consortium Bitulat 2018 signed a new contract with the RIA for launching a road marking in the southwestern region worth BGN 42 million, with VAT. Shortly after the contract was signed, according to Anton Taskov, Miroslav Manolov asked him to the amount that deviates through Belichanski Houses Ltd. to double – from 7 to 15%. Taskov refuses, leading to a break between the two.
| Immediately after Anton Taskov’s refusal to divert 15% of each payment, « Consortium Bitulat 2018 » became the subject of unusual pressure from the RIA. In 2024, the agency refused to pay over BGN 5 million for the consortium done and approved by the RIA. |
In addition, the API begins to require an unrealistic short time for the implementation of the contract activities. For example, an area of 13.5 thousand square meters should have been completed in just 2 months in the winter season. For comparison, under the previous 2021 contract, a smaller section of 10 thousand square meters should have been marked for three times longer than 7 months.
The delay in the execution of the tasks is the reason in February 2025 to break its contract with the Consortium Bitulat 2018, to claim a penalty and to activate the guarantee to the consortium insurer in the amount of BGN 68 840.66. Immediately afterwards, the II assigned the activities under the terminated contract with the inhaus procedure of the state -owned company « motorways », despite public information that it does not have the necessary equipment and staff to carry out them.
ACF check on the spot revealed that the marking is carried out by subcontractors, in violation of the Public Procurement Act and the contract between the RIA and the « motorways ».
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« The investigation raises serious questions about the role of the RIA as an institution that, instead of monitoring the safety of the roads, seems to have become a tool for the pressure and distribution of commissions. We are calling for institutions to immediately start a check on the facts set out in the investigation, » said Boyko Stankushev, Director of ACF.
The Anti -Corruption Fund sent questions to the Road Infrastructure Agency and to other persons and institutions concerned. Highway EAD did not answer our questions. The RIA stated: « Allegations of manipulation and prior negotiation of money on public procurement for determining a contractor for horizontal marking on national roads are not known to the present management of the Road Infrastructure Agency.
According to the response of the RIA, « guarantee of the capacity of the contractor » Highway « EAD is the submitted by him … a declaration that he is not entitled to replicate the subject of the contract or parts of it to others and that he can fulfill the order with his own resources ».
