I categorically state that we are witnessing an absolute manipulation and everything that was written to me for the past four days, is fake and deliberately made news. I object to the publication of any information against anyone without being verified and without their point of view being heard.
If I had been asked before all these lies were circulated, I would have answered and explained everything.
This is what the former mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih, told journalists regarding the accusations of the European Prosecutor's Office for fraud related to the reconstruction of a fishing port.
On Friday, the European Prosecutor's Office announced that it was officially bringing charges against the former mayor and former regional governor of Varna, as well as two civil servants from the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration". on investigation of possible fraud reported by the European Anti-Fraud Office with EU funds (OLAF) regarding the reconstruction of a fishing port.
The four are accused of falsifying official documents and providing false information in order to illegally obtain EU funds for a €3.4 million project co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. According to the investigation, such a port did not exist when the application for financing with European funds was submitted, the announcement clarifies.
The former mayor of Varna showed documents for a unanimous decision of the Municipal Council in Varna, including the second one currently on the list of “We continue the change– Democratic Bulgaria“ (PP-DB) Ivaylo Mitkovski, as well as the then candidate for mayor of the city from the same party Nikolay Nedkov, for applying for the program and approving the text of the agreement. It is a tripartite agreement between the Municipality of Varna, the regional administration and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), to which BGN 300,000 was paid for a pre-project study and a project with which to apply for the program for the fishing ports, Ivan Portnih also said.