Bulgaria officially received a 6-month reprieve from the US for sanctions against “Lukoil“, so that the company's refinery in Burgas can continue to operate. This happened after the appointment of a special manager of the “Lukoil“ refinery in Bulgaria. The government chose the director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) Rumen Spetsov for the position. The topic was commented on in the program “This Morning“ on bTV by former Minister of Defense and security expert Boyko Noev.
According to Noev, what is happening around “Lukoil“ is “a continuation of the exercise of power in Bulgaria through illegitimate political instruments“. According to him, decisions are made “somewhere behind“.
The former Minister of Defense described Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov as a “weak prime minister“, comparing the situation with the period of Plamen Oresharski's government.
According to Noev, the disagreements in the cabinet prove the lack of management.
Regarding the actions taken against the “Lukoil“ refinery The security expert stated that the decisions were made “by force”, without discussing opposition positions, and that the passage of key decisions through parliamentary committees in seconds is indicative of a lack of democratic procedure.
He emphasized that the issue of sanctions and the possibility of derogation had been known to the authorities for a year, but the actions were taken only at the last moment, when “the knife was pressed to the bone”.
A serious part of Noev's criticism was directed at the appointed special commercial manager Rumen Spetsov. The expert commented that the law requires five years of experience in the fuel trade, which Spetsov does not have.
According to him, there are many unanswered questions about the biography of Rumen Spetsov. He recalled that there is a case in the prosecutor's office that is "on the back burner" related to tax violations.
Noev described the case as a "classic Bulgarian example of a dependent person in power" and raised the question of who is behind his choice.