The first inspection of the Regional Forestry Directorate is not from March 2026. It was carried out on October 24, 2023. It was carried out jointly with the Regional Inspectorate for Environment, Water and Water - Varna and the Executive Forestry Agency, which is the central administration of the Regional Forestry Directorate. This was stated in “Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov“ on NOVA NEWS by the former Minister of Agriculture Ivan Hristanov, commenting on the case of the "phantom city" near Varna.
“This is important because the participation of the central administration of the Executive Forestry Agency is exceptional. The regional directorates carry out hundreds, even thousands of inspections per month, and the central management does not have the time and resources to attend each of them. The fact that it was involved in the first inspection at "Baba Alino" shows that there were indications of a serious problem", he commented.
According to him, a large report of findings was drawn up during the inspection, and about 20 acts were imposed on company employees on the spot. After the inspection and processing of the documents were completed, on December 12, 2023, signals were sent to all competent institutions under the Spatial Planning Act, including the Municipality of Varna. “Shortly before the local elections, the foresters began drawing up acts. Shortly after the elections, they sent the signals to all institutions. Then, for inexplicable reasons, everyone fell into a deep sleep. This inaction continues until the scandal occurs“, he said.
When asked who is to blame for the ongoing logging and construction in the area, the former minister pointed out that the problem began with the use of documents that were illegally interpreted as grounds for construction. “The tolerance certificate is not a construction permit. It cannot be used as such. However, some people have allowed themselves free interpretations of the law and that is where the root of the problem lies“, said Hristanov.
According to him, the employees of the RDG - Varna reacted to an anonymous signal, which rarely happens. “Usually the law requires that signals not be anonymous. In this case, colleagues have assessed that it is about something serious and have carried out an inspection. Instead of simple logging, they found poured foundations, built infrastructure and large-scale construction activities,“ he explained.
And he emphasized that the powers of forest officials end with the detection of violations and the imposition of sanctions. Hristanov was categorical that after the initial actions of the forest institutions, prolonged inaction followed.
“Unfortunately, we see that the police, the municipality, the prosecutor's office, the construction supervision and even the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and Water Resources have been inactive for too long. I can say that the only ones who did their job professionally were my colleagues from the Regional Directorate of Forestry - Varna and the Executive Forestry Agency“, the former Minister of Agriculture pointed out.
According to him, one cannot speak of innocent institutions when data on serious violations have been publicly disclosed, and no action has been taken for months.
Khristanov expressed skepticism regarding the government's initiative to lower the prices of basic food products. “The reductions we see are similar to the usual promotions of retail chains. In the case of fruits and vegetables, the seasonal decline often reaches 50%, so a reduction of 15% is not unusual“, he said. According to him, it is more of an attempt to present seasonal price reductions as the result of political actions.