A government crisis erupted in Bulgaria. On Wednesday, June 22, the Bulgarian parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet led by pro-European Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who took office only six months ago. Then Petkov replaced the long-term prime minister Boyko Borisov, against whom allegations of corruption were made.
Now Borisov heads the largest opposition party, Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), which initiated a vote of no confidence in the Petkov government. Thousands of people took to the streets of Sofia, demonstrating support for the prime minister who lost power. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev again instructed Petkov to form a cabinet, but in case of failure, new parliamentary elections could be held in the country.
Problems in the ruling coalition
About two weeks ago, the ruling left-liberal coalition led by Petkov lost its absolute parliamentary majority after the populist party There Are Such a People, led by singer Slavi Trifonov, left it. Contradictions in the coalition escalated after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the end of April, the Russian concern Gazprom suspends gas supplies to Bulgaria.
Unsuccessful Detention of Boyko Borisov
Earlier, on March 17, Boyko Borisov was detained on suspicion of embezzlement of EU funds, but only a day later was released, after which Kiril Petkov accused the prosecutor’s office of sabotaging his fight against corruption. Having come to power, Petkov promised to fight to turn Bulgaria into a normal European state, “successful, without the mafia.”
Boyko Borisov headed the Bulgarian government from July 2009 to March 2013, from November 2014 to January 2017 and from May 2017 to May 2021. Among other things, he is suspected of taking bribes from one of the lottery magnates in exchange for a refund of taxes paid.
See also:
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Russian interest of the American minister
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has commercial interests with UK-based Navigator Holdings, which is partnering with Russia’s largest petrochemical holding, Sibur. Sibur is owned by people who are close to Vladimir Putin – Leonid Mikhelson, Gennady Timchenko, Kirill Shamalov.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Russian share on Facebook and Twitter
Russian businessman Yuri Milner has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. with the support of the Kremlin. His acquisition of Twitter shares was financially supported by a Russian state-owned bank, VTB. Investments in Facebook were carried out with the participation of a subsidiary of Gazprom.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
The Queen’s bankers invested in an offshore zone
The Duchy of Lancaster, which manages assets for the personal income of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, has invested in a fund in the Cayman Islands. This fund invested in the company that controls the scandalous financial institution BrightHouse, which provided microloans to clients at almost 100% per annum.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Nike – tax run
The world famous manufacturer of sportswear and footwear Nike Inc. built a financial scheme that, with the help of offshore companies in Bermuda and, later, in the Netherlands, allowed a company outside the United States to evade billions of euros in tax payments.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Oh apple…
The American corporation Apple, which ranks first in the world in terms of market capitalization, was also registered in one of the countries of the “tax haven”, according to the results of the investigation.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Canada’s prime minister declined to comment.
A close aide to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – Stephen Bronfman – has been involved in dubious business schemes. Through offshore firms associated with him, millions of dollars in tax payments may have been siphoned out of the country. Neither Trudeau nor his adviser commented on the journalists’ request.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
Swiss Glencore
The dossier also includes one of the world’s largest suppliers of raw materials and rare earth metals – the Swiss company Glencore. It is assumed that the company was able to conclude a deal for the extraction of raw materials in the DR Congo thanks to a large bribe. As a result, the state lost hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
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“Paradise Files” or “Paradise Island Files”
German defendants dossier
Dossier documents lead to the family of billionaire Kurt Engelhorn (pictured with his wife Heidi), which means to one of the largest criminal cases in Germany for (non-)payment of taxes. They also talk about how the owner of the gambling business, Paul Gauselmann, uses the laws of the Isle of Man to make money on gambling, some of which are banned.
Author: Ekaterina Venkina
