I dismissed the director of the OP "Cemetery Parks" after an inspection by the Sofia Inspectorate for Combating Corruption, which found serious violations and shortcomings in the management of the enterprise. His two deputies have also been dismissed. This is what Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev wrote on his Facebook profile and added:
"The decision was made based on the facts from the inspection. The report has also been sent to the prosecutor's office.
Cemetery parks are places where people go in one of the most difficult moments in their lives. The municipality must ensure order, respect and humanity there. Therefore, any suspicion of abuse, pressure or lack of control in this area requires a quick and clear response.
For years, people have talked about aggressive service offerings, pressure on relatives of the deceased, damage to property and the feeling that they were left alone at their most vulnerable moment. A large part of these practices are related to the private sector around funeral services, but also to the feeling that an environment of lack of control and dependence has existed around cemetery parks for years.
That is precisely why the institution must be the opposite of this model. We end it only with rules that apply to everyone, control and zero tolerance for abuse.
The director was appointed with the expectation of introducing order. When the inspection showed violations and omissions, he was dismissed from his position and the materials were handed over to the competent authorities.
Abuse always has a price that society pays. But there are areas in which this price is particularly heavy - when it comes to human grief, the health and future of children, the elderly, the sick or people in a vulnerable situation.
If you have been the subject of pressure, abuse or unregulated practices in cemetery parks or in another structure of the municipality, be responsible and active and submit signals through Call Sofia, section “Letters and Complaints“:https://call.sofia.bg/bg/Petition/CheckUser
Only when the problems are named and the signals are submitted, the institutions can act. And my responsibility is to ensure that when there is evidence of violations, there are consequences."
As a comment under Terziev's statement, Rumen Dimitrov wrote:
I thank Mr. Terziev for the publicity he gives to this entire process. Very soon, all allegations and accusations made regarding my disciplinary dismissal will be refuted through facts, documents and circumstances that will be presented to the competent authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Over the past few days, through people and intermediaries close to Mr. Terziev, I have been receiving warnings, threats, pressure and attempts to prevent me from holding a press conference. I will not give in to such pressure and threats, because I believe that the truth must be told, no matter how inconvenient it is and no matter who it affects.
I confirm that tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at BTA I will hold a press conference, at which I will talk about my entire period of work, about the processes that took place, as well as those that did not happen due to dependencies and interests in the administration of the Sofia Municipality.
I expect all media representatives tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at BTA on Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd.
Sincerely,
Rumen Dimitrov - former director of the Public Organization "Cemetery Parks"