Former Deputy Minister of Economy Alexander Manolev has been removed from the sanctions regime under Art. 7031(c) of the US Department of State after a full review of the case by American institutions, the American publication The Pavlovic Today reported.
According to the publication, the decision was made after a nearly five-year procedure, during which Manolev provided a significant amount of documents and information. The American authorities conducted a detailed examination of his professional activities, his public life and the circumstances surrounding the case in Bulgaria, after which they came to the conclusion that there are no grounds for him to remain on the sanctions list.
The case is considered a rare example of a successful challenge to restrictions imposed under Art. 7031(c), and to date there are no widely known public examples of such a decision being overturned. Manolev has not been sanctioned under the "Magnitsky" Act, although his name has often been associated with individuals on this list.
Over the years, he has consistently won the cases against him in Bulgaria. After decisions of the Sofia City Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, it was accepted that a conflict of interest did not exist. Later, the Supreme Court of Cassation finally acquitted him in the case related to the "guest houses" scandal.
Manolev was accused of providing false information when obtaining European funding for a guest house project near Sandanski. The investigation involved funds in the amount of about 400 thousand leva, with the allegations that the property was used as a personal villa. However, the courts ultimately dismissed the charges.
The US also issued 5 travel bans on Bulgarians and their relatives
Alexander Manolev, Petar Haralampiev, Krasimir Tomov and Delyan Peevski, Ilko Zhelyazkov
A publication by journalist Ksenia Pavlovich McAteer, accredited to the White House, claims, citing sources from the State Department, that the administration of President Donald Trump has begun a review of sanctions and restrictions imposed during the time of his predecessor Joe Biden.
"According to sources familiar with the matter, some of those close to the process claim that the approach of the previous administration has crossed the line of toughness and entered the realm of what they define as "excess of authority".
According to the publication, officials of The Trump administration is investigating whether some decisions during the Biden era were motivated solely by national security and anti-corruption concerns or were influenced by external political and ideological factors. The long-standing ties between the Blinken family and institutions linked to George Soros are also being examined in this context.
Sources familiar with the process have identified the lifting of restrictions against Manolev as a possible early signal of a broader review of sanctions decisions currently underway in Washington.
In 2021, Manolev, his wife Nadya, and their children Alexa, Joanna, and Dimitar were banned from entering the United States under Section 7031(c). The ban was announced on the same day that Washington imposed sanctions under the "Magnitsky" Act. against Delyan Peevski, Vasil Bozhkov, Petar Haralampiev, Krasimir Tomov and Ilko Dimitrov, which created the false impression that Manolev was part of the same list.
According to sources close to Manolev's position, he maintained that his inclusion in the sanctions regime was based on "inaccurate or incomplete information".