After the disciplinary dismissal of the director of the OP “Cemetery Parks“ Rumen Dimitrov by Mayor Vasil Terziev, the topic of the condition of the Sofia cemeteries has once again caused a serious public and political resonance. Have organized groups been operating in the cemetery parks for years, associated with unregulated practices, corruption and pressure? Carlos Contrera, a municipal councilor from VMRO, spoke in front of FACT.
- Mr. Contrera, we have a disciplinary dismissal of the director of the OP “Cemetery Parks“ Rumen Dimitrov by Mayor Vasil Terziev? Is this an admission of serious problems in the system?
- Mayor Terziev is right to dismiss municipal employees who are even suspected of unregulated practices. In the case of the OP “Cemetery Parks“ I support his actions. Terziev is my political opponent, but when he acts in principle and with reason, this should be supported. Sofia's cemeteries do not look good, the dark practices of breaking monuments have not stopped, the promised reform has not actually happened. The disciplinary dismissal of the director Rumen Dimitrov is yet another proof that we have a systemic and chronic problem with the cemetery parks in Sofia. VMRO-Sofia has been talking about this for years, and my colleague Dimitar Antov and I received defamation cases because we publicly pointed out the problems. At least two organized crime groups (OCGs!, the services know about them, but for years there have been no investigations and arrests...
- You have said several times that there is a “mafia“ in the Sofia cemeteries and two clans that “parcel“ the cemetery parks. Who is the boss of the mafia?
- I call the mafia in the cemeteries the symbiosis between municipal employees, private companies and groups of vandals who work in their own financial and economic criminal interest. In essence, this is the so-called gypsy mafia, because there are tycoons, gypsy barons who control the processes at the operational and middle levels. The groups are conditionally two - the one from Orlandovtsi and the one from Fakulteta. There is something like a parceling of the “business“ - they have divided their territory. The people who deal with them from the lowest to the highest levels highest level, are well known to the Ministry of Interior, they have information about them, there are developments, but the atrocities in the cemeteries have been going on for years. This means that these groups from somewhere or someone receive institutional protection, the so-called umbrella. This umbrella is probably for other criminal activities and along this line the atrocities in the cemeteries are considered a bonus...
- The Sofia Municipality revealed that there is data on “illegal and non-transparent spending of public funds“, as well as possible crimes. What happened in the OP “Cemetery Parks“?
- I expect the report to be submitted to the Municipal Council so that we can get acquainted with the established facts. The Sofia Municipality very sparingly announced the removal of Mr. Rumen Dimitrov. Of course, it is imperative that we also hear the thesis of the removed director. The situation is very strange – the mayor Terziev removes a PP-DB member for abuse of office, who in turn publicly claim that they are fighting unregulated practices, i.e. corruption. I am surprised by the silence of the PP, DB, DSB on the subject. I interpret it as a sign of cowardly behavior, because they probably knew some things, but tried to cover them up. Obviously, Vasil Terziev did not agree to remain silent, however. I recall that Mr. Rumen Dimitrov was a candidate for mayor of the PP-DB and "Save Sofia" for the "Nadezhda" district, i.e. he enjoyed the full political trust of the PP-DB and "Save Sofia". I expect to find out what happened and how after that. In any case, Mr. Dimitrov's word must be heard in the SOS, so that the work does not look like a witch hunt in PPDB.
- Back in 2024, you warned about serious problems in the Central Cemeteries, Malashevtsi and the Copper Factory. And what followed…
- For years, VMRO-Sofia has been highlighting, publicizing and fighting against the outrages in cemetery parks. We managed to introduce basic rules for stonemasonry and funeral companies in an attempt to make everything transparent and traceable. We systematically filed signals for tightening control. But since 2021, dark and criminal interests have prevailed, people with dubious competence and tied to lobbies in funeral and ritual activities have taken leadership positions. Municipal councilor Dimitar Antov and I have received threats, friendly advice, hints, political attacks at the behest of the cemetery mafia. Antov is still being dragged through court cases, his cars and buses have been burned. They filed a defamation case against me because I filed a report to Mayor Fandakova about violations. In 2024, a temporary commission was created at the municipal council based on my report to verify violations. It is still working and collecting data. It is headed by a representative of “Save Sofia“ – lawyer Koparanov.
- Why have the institutions neglected these signals for so long?
- First, the topic of cemetery parks is difficult, unpleasant, related to people's grief, it is not a PR topic and politicians massively avoid it. Second - there are huge economic interests in funeral and ritual activities. Third - the entire contingent of gypsy bosses finds a haven in the cemeteries, who thus “create bread“ for their people, control them, of course, during elections they direct them to the right party. The Ministry of Interior has enough information about who is who. I expect the new leadership of the Ministry of Interior to take action along this line, at least because this is part of the fight against the notorious organized crime. I am optimistic that Minister Dermedzhiev will take a serious approach to counteracting this type of criminal activity.
- Rumen Dimitrov was appointed with the promise to "clean up" the system, and now he has been fired precisely because of suspicions of such violations? How long does it take for a person to "merge" with the system?
- I have known Mr. Rumen Dimitrov long before he became an activist and politician from the State Security Service. Until his appointment as director of the Public Organization "Cemetery Parks", I do not know that he had any interests in this topic. Even then, this move seemed quite strange to me, but let's say that this was a political decision and appointment by the PP-SB and Spasi Sofia. The request then was that he was the person who would put order in the cemetery parks. Do you remember that he and Mayor Terziev at that time – end of 2023 and beginning of 2024, announced data about terrible things in the cemetery parks. Things that we have been warning about for years, they confirmed them. Then what happened and why the rift came, I guess we will find out these weeks.
- PP-DB and “Save Sofia“ launched Rumen Dimitrov, as you say. And now what comes next…
- Yes, I believe that Mr. Rumen Dimitrov was appointed as a political appointment to carry out a specific line of management, as PP-DB and “Save Sofia“ imagined it. It is known that DSB is the bearer of this quota, i.e. Rumen Dimitrov was proposed or imposed as director by Ivan Kostov's people in the municipality. I expect to hear PP-DB's position on the subject, but they are somehow strangely silent. Why? I believe that Vasil Terziev would not have allowed himself to take this step with the removal if there were no iron arguments. It is right for the PP-DB to come out and say what happened, why it happened, do they support Mayor Terziev's decision, if they support it, why they have been silent so far.
- You expect a report from the inspection of Rumen Dimitrov's work to be provided to the municipal councilors. Are you concerned that some of the information may be hidden or "softened" from the public?
- I believe that on this painful and socially significant issue, the SOS should receive all the information. I do not believe that the mayor is trying to hide or soften things, because Vasil Terziev himself put the topic on the table, figuratively speaking. In order to move in this direction, he obviously has serious data and facts. But they must be said so that there is no doubt that it is some kind of political or intra-coalition infighting between the PP, DB, DSB.
- What specific measures should be taken to interrupt the schemes surrounding burial sites, public procurement and unregulated influence in Sofia's cemetery parks?
- Mayor Terziev and the Municipal Council should unite around a program for managing the cemetery parks in Sofia. Of course, it is the mayor's right to appoint the director of the municipal enterprise. I assume that Vasil Terziev will also announce a competition for the position. I believe that our main goal - mayor and SOS - is to bring the cemetery parks into a decent shape, to ensure adequate maintenance, adequate security, video surveillance. We have all seen the cemetery parks in Europe - this is how Sofia's cemeteries should look. Tidy, clean, neat, with normal alleys, maintained trees and park elements, safe. It is a shame that Sofia's cemeteries resemble muddy jungles. It is a sin to the memory of the deceased!