Anti-corruption memorandum or political PR? Tryavna council to consider proposal

At its regular meeting on 29 May, the municipal council in Dryanovo is due to consider a “Memorandum for the Prevention of and Countering Corruption”. The idea for the document came from former Gabrovo regional governor Asen Daskalov, and it is unclear whether the current regional administration supports it.

Behind the anti-corruption rhetoric, the proposal in fact seeks to introduce measures that are already required by law. But that is not the most significant part of the document. More striking are the apparent suggestions that corruption exists in the region, without any specific cases being identified.

Facts or insinuations?

The memorandum says that “research and meetings with experts at local level” have been held, resulting in the regional administration identifying “some higher-risk sectors and specific activities” from the point of view of corruption.

But it does not name a single case, a single municipality, the positions held by the local experts involved, or the activities considered to carry corruption risks.

That raises another question: if Asen Daskalov’s team came across cases presenting corruption risks, why were they not referred to the competent authorities? Instead, the proposal offers general statements that sound more like public relations than a concrete anti-corruption measure.

Following the meetings, about which no further details are provided, the regional administration says that “what is observed across the country also applies to our region”. It refers to “corrupt practices involving positions connected with the spending of public funds and the authorisation of payments; the issuing of permits related to construction activities; licensing and other regulatory regimes; public procurement; administrative services provided to citizens; and, last but not least, healthcare”.

The document adds that “corrupt practices are observed at management level, but often also among ordinary employees”.

Questions left unanswered

“Za Istinata” sent questions to the regional administration seeking clarification about which experts had been consulted and in which municipalities the meetings had taken place. We also asked whether an analysis of the results had been prepared, or whether there were minutes or any other document summarising conclusions about potentially suspicious activities.

No answers had been received by the time of publication.

Meanwhile, Asen Daskalov – the regional governor who signed the memorandum proposal – was dismissed by the Radеv government and replaced by Kristina Sodorova.

Duplicating existing obligations

If the municipalities agree to the memorandum, they would undertake to maintain up-to-date public information on their websites about construction and renovation contracts.

The information would have to include the contract value, subject, completion period and contractor; the dates when construction started, stopped and resumed, including the opening of the construction site and the reasons for any suspension; the date of completion and acceptance of the works; payments made under the contract and any comments on its implementation; the warranty period and warranty claims; the person responsible for investment control and the person responsible for construction supervision; and other relevant information concerning the procurement.

The same would apply to investment projects.

Is the memorandum actually needed?

At first glance, the document looks like an administrative exercise with plenty of anti-corruption rhetoric and little practical substance.

But a check by “Za Istinata” of the Dryanovo municipal website suggests that there is, in fact, a reason for such measures.

The municipality’s “Buyer Profile” section – where citizens should be able to find information about public procurement and contracts – contains no documents, no public procurement procedures and no investment projects.

Other municipalities in the Gabrovo region have addressed this issue by providing links to the centralised public procurement register, CAIS EPP.

That register contains extensive information on projects funded with public money – from the initial procurement notice and project documentation to the evaluation committee’s records and the contract signed with the successful bidder.

There is little doubt that citizens should have easy access to such information. That is precisely what the memorandum proposed by Asen Daskalov is intended to achieve.

People should be able to see clearly who is building, how the contractor was selected, how much the project costs, how long it should take, how much has been paid and whether there have been delays.

In short, they should be able to understand how their money is being spent.

Because transparency is not simply a matter of uploading a document.

What is difficult to explain is why it should need a memorandum when public procurement transparency is already guaranteed by law.

The memorandum has been sent to all municipalities in the Gabrovo region. It remains to be seen how their municipal councils will respond.