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This morning, teams from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office began searching the properties of Rumen Gaitanski, aka Valka. Subsequently, it became clear that operations were also carried out in Kardzhali (at companies closely related to the former mayor of the DPS, Hasan Azis), and in Sofia (at the properties of Stoyan Mavrodiev, a former director of the Bulgarian Development Bank).
Unofficially, the action is related to a 150 million Bulgarian lev loan issued by BBR, and the Anti-Corruption Commission announced a few days ago that it is checking how Gaitanski repaid the debt owed by Ahmet Dogan for the Varna TPP through a 150 million loan from BBR, the Bulgarian Development Bank.
A few months ago, the demolition of the building near the Iská Dam began, the so-called “demolition work” of the wolf’s winter hut. The illegal hut was supposed to be demolished, but the Pernik District Court stopped the demolition work at the end of July.
Free Europe explains what is known about Rumen Gaitanski:
Buildings near the Iska Dam are being demolished. The reason is that they were built illegally. Behind them stands a man with a nickname. Illegal construction is far from the most interesting thing about its history. What do we know about Rumen Gaitanski-Wolf?
The monopolist of the capital’s garbage. The main owner of abandoned swimming pools. The recipient of one of the largest loans in the state. And the former partner of the honorary leader of DPS. Ahmed Dogan.
This is part of the businessman’s biography. Rumen Gaitanskiknown by his nickname A wolfThat’s what I said. “Free Europe” In materials published on April 5, 2024.
His name has been in the news for the past few days. The reason is that the Metropolitan Municipal Government has initiated the demolition of his illegal building in the hunting park. “Aiska”.
Gaitanski has been an active businessman since approx. thirty For several years, but during that time he did not appear in the media and remained hidden from the public. Svobodna Europa tried to contact him via the email address of his company “Wolf” AD. No response was received before the text editing work was completed.
Here’s what else we know about wolves.
Rubbish
Gaitansky became popular in the 1990s. Then he founded these companies Deeds and Wolf Warriors 96 (From the second on his nickname was “The Wolf”.) They obtained the garbage collection concession for Sofia and gained a near monopoly on cleaning in the capital.
The franchise ends on 2006the company refused to clean, and Sofia fell into a garbage crisis. The mayor of Sofia at the time was the leader of GERB Boyko Borisov“Eliminating wolves” was his main slogan for the local election campaign. 2005 and 2007
“We are doing everything possible to eliminate wolves from Sofia,” Borisov said in 2006. “By the time the wolf sits down to dinner, goes to the bar, goes to sleep and wakes up, he has already swallowed 2-3 million Bulgarian levs,” he also told the then mayor, who also accused Gaitansky of having links to the DPS.
Although Gaitanski briefly lost the capital’s concession, he continued to win waste collection contracts in other cities – e.g. Stara Zagora, Sliven, Kurdzhali and Pomeranian.
Until last year’s local elections 2023 Sofia is managed by GERB, but this does not prevent Valka from gradually returning to the garbage business and passing 2018-19 Gaitanski does this through his company “Green Partner”.
Along with this company, the Municipal Corporation “Pure Eska” Sign an equipment rental agreement and pay the fee 97% From the allocated funds for cleaning the regions of “Lyulin”, “Krasno selo” and “Krasna Polyana”.
The result was millions of levs in revenue for Green Partners, which collected waste in three communities without going through public procurement tenders.
Buildings at Iska Dam
The story of Gaitanski’s illegal construction near the Iska Dam is related to another of his companies – Biomining advertisement.
This company and Southwest State-owned Enterprises (YUDZP), which manages the Iska State Hunting Ground. On its territory are Gaitanski’s buildings.
On April 2, 2024, the demolition of illegal structures of Valka Company in the territory of Iska Hunting Ground was underway.
Prez 2020 Sofia City Councillor Vladislav Panev People from the Green Movement, now representatives of We Continue Change – Democratic Bulgaria, said that Gaitanski’s construction was carried out without any permits and approved projects. Inspections of the local government did find such violations, and in the following inspections 2 Chief Architect of Sofia Zdravko Zdravkov An order was issued to demolish the building.
What follows is a series of cases. 2024 The Supreme Administrative Court (you) eventually declared the buildings illegal and ordered them to be demolished.
Maria Louisa Bass
Gaitanski’s company owns a majority stake in the capital’s bathhouses Maria Luisa V Boris GardenA Closer Look 20 Over the years, the bathhouse had been neglected and was falling into disrepair.
It is owned by a joint stock company JSC “Maria Luisa Park”in which companies related to Valka participated. The metropolitan municipality became a minority shareholder through the municipal corporation “Sofia Real Estate”.
Gaitanski never managed to turn the bathhouse into a successful investment project. Last year, after trying to start the reconstruction of the pool, the businessman made an offer to the city – either buy out his shares in “Maria Luisa” or compensate him with property of corresponding market value so that the bathhouse could become fully municipal.
The abandoned “Maria Luisa” bathhouse in the Borisova Gardens in Sofia, June 2019.
In July 2023, Capital wrote that Gaitanski had asked twenty four Municipal property in exchange for swimming pools. Among them are plots for parking lots, residential buildings and even schools.
However, Valka’s proposal to the Metropolitan Municipality remains at the level of an idea.
Money from the state
Prez 2021 Apparently, some of Bulgaria’s biggest businessmen’s companies received huge loans from the state Bulgarian Development Bank (BBR). Its purpose is mainly to support small and medium-sized enterprises.
The largest recipient of the BBR loan was again a company associated with Gaitanski – the construction company ROAD WORK. Prez 2019 It receives the record closure from BBR 150 million. The Bulgarian Central Bank loan. This happened a few months after the company was founded.
The loan was intended to buy another construction company, also controlled by Gaitanski.
The story was revealed during the inspection, how BBR’s resources were spent on suspicion that the bank provided financing to companies with close ties to the government. It is suspected that the loans were granted without the necessary collateral. According to Capital News 2022 Varka’s company stopped paying back its loan.
Relationship with DPS
There have been publications about Gaitanski over the years that say he is close to the DPS. He has a particular connection to the movement’s honorary president Ahmed Dogan.
DPS was founded 1990 From Dogan, he was also the first leader of the organization. Now the chairman is the vice chairman Derian Pejewski, Sanctioned USA and U.K. Bulgarian Turks and Muslims consider the movement a defender of their rights and therefore vote for the party.
The reason is that the emergence of the DPS is seen as a reaction to Bulgaria’s forced name change and expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Turks under the so-called “new constitution”. 1984 and 1989
Dorgan was subsequently imprisoned for resisting these intrusions. It was later revealed that he was a secret police agent National Security (DS) and collaborate with the regime.
However, since then, the DPS has become associated with hidden power and corrupt practices in state institutions.
The relationship between Gaitanski and Dogan was formalized over a period of time. 2017 Gaitanski and Dogan then registered the company together. The Life of WaterThe “Bivol” website first reported their 2018 The company was later shut down.
Gaitanski also has interests in the water and sanitation sectors. Crystal Water Winning large public contracts.
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