The replaced special manager of “Lukoil“ – Bulgaria Rumen Spetsov disseminated a position to the media, commenting on the reshuffle and responding to the attacks of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Alexander Pulev, who, in part of the reasons for the replacement, pointed out: “You should have checked this as an employee of the National Revenue Agency – Dobrich receipts from the sale of fuel at gas stations do not inspire the necessary confidence that you understand this complex mechanism and this market“.
In response, Rumen Spetsov says:
“In recent days, I have heard assessments of my professional path that I cannot leave unanswered. Not because of my personal ego, but because of respect for the institutions in which I have worked and for the people who are responsible for the state every day.
Reducing the work of the National Revenue Agency to “checking receipts“ is a convenient political suggestion, but it is not true. The NRA is not a service for formal inspections. This is an institution that works with data, turnover, tax risks, supply chains, fiscal discipline, control over large sectors and protection of budget revenues. In this sense, the experience of the NRA is not a weakness. It is precisely thanks to the check of receipts that we achieved record collection. The NRA is a school of thought on how to view the real economy through documents, numbers, market behavior and responsibility to society.
I have always maintained that the oil and oil products market is one of the most complex and sensitive, because it affects national security, energy stability, business and every Bulgarian citizen. That is why management in such a situation cannot be reduced to self-confident phrases. It requires a team, expertise, control, legality and the ability to bear responsibility.
The role of the special commercial manager is not to be an oil trader, nor to present himself as a person who knows everything himself. His role is to ensure that companies operate within the framework of the law, that there is continuity of processes, that the state interest is protected and that decisions are made with attention to risk, not with slogans.
I accept every institutional decision. This is part of public responsibility. But I do not accept a disparaging attitude towards my professional experience and even less towards the work of the NRA employees.
It is easy to throw out remarks. It is more difficult to manage systems, to take pressure, to bear responsibility and to maintain balance in moments when a mistake can cost the state dearly.
Let us argue with facts, not with suggestions. Such as the suggestion that there is a lack of accountability in my work. The fact is that such is regularly given to the prime minister, the caretaker prime minister, the parliamentary committee and members of parliament - as required by law.
Let us evaluate people by their work, not by convenient political labels. And let us not forget that trust in the state is destroyed most quickly when institutions are used for personal attacks“.