[size=75:1s2m2tkv]Focus news agency 28 December 2009

26 municipalities lost BGN 9.2 mln under SAPARD program over hard violations

27 municipal projects under the SAPARD program at the amount of BGN 9.2 mln have been refused financing over hard violations of the Public Procurement Act, the State Agriculture Fund announced for FOCUS News Agency. The payments under the pre-accession program have been paid off several days ago. Five of the projects of the local power have been submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office by the Public Financial Inspection Agency over hard violations of the law.
However, another 28 municipal projects with lighter violations have been imposed financial corrections on subsidies but after all the remnants have been paid off. Thus BGN 39 mln from the unblocked payments under the SAPARD program have been paid to 72 municipalities have been paid off.
The executive director of the fund Kalina Ilieva said for FOCUS News Agency all of the municipal projects, remained for payments, have been carried out during the running of the new management of the fund for violations under the Public Procurement Act, under new procedure, accredited by Brussels. Thus violations have been made under 55 projects of the local power, which have been refused payment at all. The projects are for afforestation, asphalting and sewerage.
“Brussels then has asked all those projects to be refused financing, as we have announced, over violations of the Public Procurement Act. However, then we and the Ministry of Finance have very serious negotiations with Brussels. We have met several times their experts and we have won. We have accredited a special procedure for financial corrections, based on their directives, applicable for their structural funds but they have agreed to use them for the pre-accession program,” she said.
The municipalities that have not been financed udder the program are: Chelopoch, Ruse, Barak, Balchik, Belene (2 projects), Bolyarolvo, Tzar Kaloyan, Ccherven bryag, Glavnitsa, Mizya, Dolna Mitropolya, Belitsa, Elhovo, Provadya, Strelcha,Pordim, Kostenets, Pavlikeni, Devin, Ihtiman, Borovan, Primorsko and Nikola Kozlevo.