"Baba Alino" scandal: Minister demands punishment for notary over real estate fraud

Disciplinary proceedings against notary Veselin Petrov

Minister of Justice Nikolay Naydenov has taken official steps to impose a disciplinary penalty on notary Veselin Petrov, who practices in the region of the Varna District Court. The reason for this is serious violations discovered during the execution of notary proceedings in the "Baba Alino" area.

The inspection by the Inspectorate to the Supreme Judicial Council found a lack of reasoned legal assessment and documents to legitimize the property transactions.

What are the violations?

• Property documents issued for 35 buildings constructed on forest territories.
• Lack of written evidence for the acquisition basis in the notary files.
• Serious omissions in the certification procedures.

The scale of the "Baba Alino" investigation

The "Baba Alino" case is the subject of an extensive investigation by the Ministry of Interior. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev confirmed that nine criminal proceedings have been initiated following a large-scale police operation in Varna.

During the operation, over 140,000 pages of evidence were seized, and 25 people were detained for 24 hours. The Ministry of Interior announced its intention to verify the legality of "tolerance certificates" in other regions of the country as well.

The Ministry of Justice emphasizes that inspections are continuing regarding other notaries, noting that current findings do not prejudge the final outcome of the disciplinary proceedings.