“The Bulgarian Development Bank was created with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises by granting loans between 100 thousand and 1 million leva, but over time it has become an instrument for serving narrow political and economic interests”. This was stated by former MP Dimitar Lambovski in the program “In Focus” on Nova TV.
According to him, during a certain period, the bank granted nearly 1 billion leva in loans to a limited circle of six to seven companies, which, according to him, were connected to political circles around Delyan Peevski, Boyko Borisov and Ahmed Dogan.
Lambovski claims that businessman Rumen Gaitanski was used as an intermediary in schemes through which funds from public procurement were directed to political circles. According to him, in the years around 2018-2020, the relations between the main figures in these circles were extremely close.
As an example of borrowers, he cited the company “Roadway Construction“, as well as other companies that, according to him, were part of the economic circle around Peevski. Lambovski noted that information about the collateral and the full list of borrowers remains unavailable due to bank secrecy.
I.f. Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova signed the request for Stoyan Mavrodiev's extradition
The role of Stoyan Mavrodiev
According to the former MP, the schemes grew during the time when Stoyan Mavrodiev was at the head of the Bulgarian National Bank. “No management board or supervisory board had a decisive say. The bank was managed entirely by Mavrodiev“, said Lambovski.
According to him, Mavrodiev's appearance in Serbia after years of living abroad is “extremely interesting“ and may be related to an attempt to negotiate an agreement with the judicial authorities in exchange for providing information.
About the recordings with Mavrodiev
Lambovski confirmed that the previously published recording of a meeting between him and Stoyan Mavrodiev is authentic. However, he stressed that at that time he was not an active politician, but a businessman who was looking for opportunities to finance his projects. “Every businessman tries to protect his interests. The conversation itself showed more how the system functions and which people can receive loans“, he said.
Lambovski admitted that potential financing of up to 5 million leva was discussed in the conversation, but defined such an approach as “wrong and vicious practice“.
Property deals in Greece
The former MP also commented on the information about the sale of his properties in Greece to a company associated with Mavrodiev. He stated that formally the buyer was a Cypriot offshore company, not Mavrodiev himself. Lambovski refused to specify the value of the transactions, but confirmed that part of the payment was made by bank transfer.
According to him, the issues of the origin of the funds should be clarified by the competent institutions.
„Mavrodiev was a balancer between Borisov and Peevski“
Lambovski expressed the opinion that Stoyan Mavrodiev occupied a key position between various political and economic centers of influence. „Mavrodiev was a good balancer between Peevski and Borisov. Both had their own interests, which he protected through the bank's resources," he said.
According to him, it was the huge financial resources at the disposal of the BDB that turned the institution into an instrument of influence.
Expectations for the development of the case
Lambovski believes that if extradited to Bulgaria, Stoyan Mavrodiev may seek an agreement with the prosecutor's office in exchange for witness statements. "He is an inconvenient person for many people. He will probably look for the best option for himself, including through cooperation with the investigative authorities," said the former MP.
We recall that on June 4, the former head of the Bulgarian Development Bank Stoyan Mavrodiev was detained in Belgrade. He was declared an international wanted person and there was no trace of him for 2 years. In our country, he is being investigated in a case of embezzlement on a particularly large scale in connection with a loan of nearly 150 million leva granted by the Bulgarian Development Bank. Mavrodiev has been detained for a period of 18 days. If the Bulgarian authorities fail to prepare the documents for his extradition during this period, the arrest may be extended to 40 days.