Bulgaria Passes First Ever Conflict of Interest Act - Aiming To Quash High-Level Graft- Media

The EU executive froze in July some 500 million euro ($676.6 million) in pre-accession aid to Bulgaria, including payments under the SAPARD farm programme and the infrastructure facility ISPA, over suspicions of corruption. The 27-member bloc earlier in the year blocked financing for projects worth 88.4 million euro from its pre-accession PHARE programme, following a corruption scandal in the country’s National Road Infrastructure Fund.

The act, aimed at preventing fraud by high-level officials, defines "conflict of interest" as when a person in public service has private interests which could affect his or her unprejudiced and unbiased implementation of power. Top government officials, including the president and his deputy, plus staff of the administration, local authorities and judges are defined as those occupied in public service, BTA said.

Corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) said last month Bulgaria had seen a significant decline in its Corruption Perception Index position, falling to 72nd place from 64th the previous year among 180 states.

Also on Thursday, the International Herald Tribune, in a major report on Bulgaria, said the country was considered the most corrupt in the EU.

($ = 0.739 euro)