This is about negligence, irresponsibility, incorrect application of the legislation and thinking that the official position can be used for corrupt practices that are in no way beneficial to citizens, society and legal construction. This was stated by the former chief architect of Sofia Bogdana Panayotova in the program "Bulgaria, Europe and the World in Focus" on Radio FOCUS.
"This is a fact everywhere. The difference is that this large-scale project has caused widespread public outrage for something that has existed and has been happening throughout Bulgaria since 2015," said Arch. Panayotova.
"I would like us to think about how the absurd changes in legislation over the years, most of which are lobbyist and serve only corrupt interests, are superimposed on a regulatory framework created more than 25 years ago. It is time to rethink these practices and make sure that the law and administrations actually protect the future of our children, so that we do not witness such cases again", she explained.
In her words, this case concerns corruption on a huge scale. "There is hardly a civil servant, administrator or representative of the government who thinks otherwise. It is not possible for so many institutions to be involved in a case related to forest land, a protected area under environmental legislation and a place with huge investment potential, without the problem being noticed," Panayotova explained.
According to her, all the institutions and individuals involved turned a blind eye and shifted responsibility to each other. According to Panayotova, if even one institution had fully fulfilled its obligations, there would not be such a situation today.
She emphasized that the role of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works is responsible for the legislation, its implementation and control over construction and territorial development throughout the country.
"For every construction absurdity that occurs in Bulgaria, the Ministry of Regional Development bears direct or indirect responsibility. The very fact that ministers come out and state that everything is within the powers of the Municipality of Varna is indicative", she stressed.
"All departmental structures of the ministry exercise control at the local level. This includes the regional cadastral offices, the regional directorates for national construction control and all other state institutions with territorial units that monitor compliance with the law by municipal administrations. The Ministry had the opportunity to both sanction and initiate administrative criminal proceedings against all persons who were inactive - the mayor, who did not stop the construction, the chief architect, who issued a certificate of tolerance, which is null and void and illegal, as well as the operating companies that provided electricity and water supply to the site", explained the former chief architect of Sofia.
Panayotova stated that the topic of tolerance of construction is extremely complex and has been causing serious debates for years. "In my opinion, the changes made in 2015 should be completely repealed, because it is they who allow such abuses", she emphasized.
"Today we are checking what happened in Varna, but let all other small municipalities, as well as the districts of the Sofia Municipality, be checked as well. It should be seen how the tolerance certificates were issued and whether they are not used to circumvent the legal procedure for permitting construction. It is possible that this mechanism has become an easy way for someone to receive a promise of a "gifted" house through a tolerance certificate - without actual legalization, but with the possibility of the construction continuing to exist. This should not be allowed," she said.