The Council of Ministers in Sofia became the scene of an extraordinary briefing where the Minister of Justice, Georgi Georgiev, announced that coordinated actions by the government, key institutions, and the judicial system had prevented a large-scale financial fraud against a foreign investor. The atmosphere was tense, with journalists from across the country gathered to hear details of a case that raises serious questions about the integrity of the justice system. According to the minister, it was an attempt to illegally defraud a large Bulgarian-French company of a particularly large amount of money.
The company, a leading multinational corporation, has been investing in Bulgaria for over a decade and employs more than 90 people. At the time of the incident, it was in the process of building a new factory in Pleven, in which more than 60 million euros would be invested. Minister Georgiev revealed that the signal about the irregularities was received in his office back in June, when company representatives provided data on potential violations and crimes that would lead to the illegal seizure of nearly 5 million leva. These funds, as it later became clear, had been blocked in the company's accounts.
The minister explained that in response to the tip, he ordered an immediate inspection by the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice, which was carried out in accordance with the Judiciary System Act. As a result of the inspection, specific violations by officials were established. Georgiev traced the chronology of events, which sounds like a plot from a crime movie. On June 5, 2025, the company found itself with a lien imposed on 5 million leva. The reason: An order for immediate execution, issued for an obligation the company claims it was unaware of, and under a contract it claims was never concluded.
The investigation revealed that on March 18 of the same year, a former manager of the investing company appeared at a junior notary's office in Sofia. He stated that
"he remembered"a supply contract signed two years prior, under which the company he represented was obligated to pay a penalty of 3.5 million leva. The junior notary certified an amendment to this contract, which was subsequently used as a basis for the court to issue the order for immediate execution.
As a result of these, according to the minister,
"notarial actions impermissible by law", the creditor company turned to the District Court in Kozloduy. The situation there was also unusual – two district judges recused themselves due to illness, and the case was assigned to a third judge, who issued the order for immediate execution. Subsequently, according to the minister, a private bailiff also committed violations that led to the funds being blocked.
Measures and Consequences
At the end of the briefing, Minister Georgiev announced that specific punishments for the established violations had been proposed. As a result of the intervention and the inspections carried out, the amount of 5 million leva, which had been blocked for several months, was completely released. As part of the measures, the minister proposed to the Chamber of Notaries the most severe possible punishment for the junior notary in Sofia – the revocation of their professional rights for a period of three years. The case, which shook the investor community, is clear evidence of the importance of institutional control and the rule of law.