The Sofia subway builder Stoyan Bratoev was removed at a hidden meeting
The Executive Director of Metropolitan Eng. Stoyan Bratoev, who has been the construction of the Sofia subway since 1999, has been removed today. This was decided by the Board of Directors of the company, appointed temporarily and without competition in July 2024 by the « economic majority » in the GERB Municipal Council, BSP, « There is such a people » and the breakaway from « Revival ».
Yesterday, Mayor Vasil Terziev and Save Sofia warned that the removal of Bratoev was being prepared. Immediately Anton Hekimian of GERB reassured, writing on Facebook that these were « false suggestions for shifts in the leadership of the metropolitan, fake news. »
It turned out that the Board of Directors has scheduled a meeting for 9.30 am today and really suggests what is being prepared: « Change in the distribution of functions between members on the Board of Directors ».
Stoyan Bratoev has been removed due to health problems, his heir announced
The board meets hidden on another floor
The meeting was postponed to 1pm, but then none of the five -member board board came to the hall. It turned out that they quietly gathered on another floor in the Metropolitan building, without Bratoev, who is a member of the board, but refused to participate in this meeting. All the while, he stood alone in one of the cabinets, silent and refused to comment on what was happening.
The journalists learned where the board was sitting and asked his chairman Nikolay Naydenov what they decided. He first assured that Bratoev remained in Metropolitan, but finally he said with half his mouth that he was no longer CEO, but remained as a member of the board. After more persistent questions, he acknowledged that they had chosen him as a new CEO. He then asked a police officer to accompany him and went out.
« Diary » asked another temporary member of the board, Konstantin Azov, with what arguments Naydenov was elected to the responsible post and the answer was: « It was offered by members of the board. »
« Save Sofia » and Terziev: This is a coup
« This is a coup to conquer the Sofia Metro, which has assets of 3 billion levs. The real face of the » economic majority « (in the Municipal Council), GERB and BSP, which remove Bratoev – the man who built the Sofia, is now, now Fandako and Borisov, » Deputy Chairman of the SOC Transport Commission.
Mayor Vasil Terziev commented on the evening in the BNT Panorama program that the decision to replace Bratoev was « ugly ». According to him, they « made a coup ».
« Mr. Bratoev was intended to be removed when the scandalous change of members on the boards of several municipal companies became. Then Bratoev left him as a coin to pass the report with Vanya Grigorova’s voice. Today they just finished what they had started, » Terziev noted.
According to him, Metropolitan will not work so effectively without Bratoev. He expressed the hope of the extraordinary meeting of the Municipal Council on Tuesday to show reason and to change the direction at which they went.
« Save Sofia » and PP-DB demand the release of Metropolitan management
PP accuses GERB of « subversive activity »
For its part, « we continue the change » spread a position in which it defines as « absolutely infamous the unceremonious removal of Eng. Stoyan Bratoev from office. »
« Characteristic of the methods of GERB’s management and the economic majority in the Sofia City Council are the force, manipulations and decisions without any arguments. In order to divert attention, they deliberately involve the name of » continue the change « in the situation.
Party – is neither a member nor shares our values. The fact that he was a brief Deputy Minister with Nikolay Sabev, a man who has long left the ranks of « continue the change » does not do so in any way recognized by our party. This is a GERB propaganda technique, with which they mask their actions with fabrications and half -truths. Such techniques only work if society succumbs to
Manipulations, « according to the party of Kiril Petkov and Assen Vasilev and accuse GERB of » subversive activity « .
The occasion of Bratoev to be removed
On May 31, Bratoev as CEO of Metropolitan announced a public procurement for the purchase of an 8 metro trains with an estimated value of 140 million leva. Only one offer was filed – by the Czech manufacturer « Skoda Transportation » for 139.36 million BGN.
On the grounds that only one offer was submitted by the temporary director’s board of Metropolitan with 4: 1 votes, only Bratoev was against, in early March terminated the order.
The order is for metro -trains that will serve I, II and IV lines of the Sofia subway. Only trains of Russian production are now moving on them – Metrovagonmash. According to experts, in addition to the Russian plant, only the Czech « Skoda » can offer metro voyages for these lines because of their technical specificity, other than that of « Siemens », « Astro » and other Western manufacturers.
For this reason, only the Czechs would appear to the new public procurement, because there are European sanctions forbidding deals with companies from the Aggressor country in Ukraine. But most likely the price will be higher, with which commissions will rise, Save Sofia suggests. This party began as a civic association « Save the subway » and its experts closely monitor the processes in the Sofia underground railway.
Boris Bonev has announced that he will submit a report to the SOC with the resignation of the management of Metropolitan and the preparation of a competition for the election of a new one – with professionals, not with party appointments.
Vanya Grigorova: The City Council had to be notified
Vanya Grigorova of the BSP group announced the same, reminding that it voted in July 2024 for the appointment without a competition on this temporary board of the company with the explicit condition of Eng. Bratoev to remain the Executive Director. Then the « economic majority » offered a staff on board without Bratoev. With the support of « We continue the change-democratic Bulgaria » and « Save Sofia » it was left.
« We at the City Council had to be notified of this shift because we are the principal of this company, » Grigorova resents.
After the meeting, Prof. Bratoev did not want to comment, but only gave the journalists the list with his professional biography. It began in 1979 when she graduated in the specialty « Bridges and Tunnels » with a profile « Tunnels and Metropolitan ». Since 1992 he has been the CEO of Metropolitan, and since 1999 he has been the Executive Director of the Company. He has over 80 scientific publications and eight books, participates in 15 scientific developments, three design guides and two inventions in the metro construction.
Bratoev was selected as a professor at the University of Mining and Geology in 2012, where he lectures on Underground City Facilities.
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