The Supreme Administrative Court has finally confirmed the fine of 5,000 leva imposed on the executive director of the National Palace of Culture Andriyana Tatarova for conflict of interest. The violation consists in the fact that she concluded a contract for renting a hall with a person related to her - her own son, reports NOVA.
According to the decision of the magistrates, Tatarova was deprived of another 476 leva from her daily salary for May 28, 2024 - the day the problematic contract was signed. The head of the National Palace of Culture was also ordered to pay costs in the amount of 102 euros.
According to the court, for the existence of a conflict of interest, it is not necessary to prove real harm or benefit, but it is sufficient to establish a formal violation - the very fact that an official has concluded a contract in private interest.
We recall that at the beginning of the month, the Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev presented data on the financial condition of the National Palace of Culture and the salaries received by the Board of Directors of the company that manages it. Miloshev indicated that the company is at a loss of nearly 49 million euros and compared to 2024, the amount for 2025 has increased by 502%.
The minister also specified what the remuneration of the Board of Directors of the company is - five members, one of whom is the executive director. In recent years, they have doubled compared to 2024, and tripled compared to 2023. He also provided more precise data: the salaries for 2023 amount to nearly 104,000 euros, for 2024 - nearly 158,000 euros, for 2025 - nearly 305,000 euros. The CEO's salary for 2025 is nearly 200,681 euros, which means that her monthly salary is about 13,680 euros. All members of the Council also receive monthly food vouchers worth 102 euros, the minister added.
"Currently, my average monthly salary reaches about 9,773 euros net. It is important to clarify that this is not a fixed amount - it varies quarterly according to the indicators achieved. "I definitely did not receive 14,000 euros per month," Tatrova said days later on the air of "Your Day" on NOVA NEWS.
Tatrova pointed out that neither she nor the Board of Directors of the National Palace of Culture determined their own remuneration. "We are currently undergoing an audit. I am even surprised that it was delayed, because we have all the documents proving that we have complied with the law," she pointed out.
She specified that the National Palace of Culture is a commercial company, not a budget organization.