Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova Submitted Resignation

I will submit my resignation so there is no doubt about the deal with electricity supplier CEZ. The Prime Minister will decide what to do, Bulgaria’s Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova told journalists in parliament on 23^rd of February.

"I have known these people for 20 years. Because I do not want by any means these relations to be commented upon, to have any reasons for doubts about this deal, or involvement of the name of the prime minister. So I think the right thing to do in such situation, when there is even the smallest doubt about some problems or possible influences, I think the dignified act is to submit my resignation to the prime minister," said Petkova, quoted by FOCUS News Agency.

The buyer is a Bulgarian company, Inercom Bulgaria.

Petkova said that the reason for tendering her resignation was that for 20 years she had known the manager of the company that would buy the assets of CEZ in Bulgaria.

In response to a question whether Ginka Varbakova, who runs the company that would buy CEZ assets in Bulgaria, Temenuzhka Petkova explained:

"There has been much speculation about this topic. Last year there were questions, in the public domain, when it turned out that a company in which Varbakova was involved participated in the procedure. Then I said I had known these people in the past 20 years, but I'm not their bridesmaid."

The resignation of Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova will be discussed at the Coalition Council after Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's return from Brussels, the chair of GERB Parliamentary Committee Tsvetan Tsvetanov said and pointed out that he had spoken with the prime minister.

Temenuzhka Petkova is a dignified person and in no way wants to leave any doubt that there is any relation to the deal for the sale of CEZ, Tsvetanov said. He pointed out that this was a deal between two private companies, it was implemented in the Czech Republic, not in Bulgaria, and there are competent authorities such as the energy regulatory commission, which will take part in the procedure ahead of the approval of the transaction.

According to Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov, the resignation of Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova is a bit hasty. I do not find any arguments for it, but I'm not familiar with the details, he told reporters. If anyone who has a friend for many years should be responsible for his actions or lack of actions, moreover, in this case we are talking about a private deal, it is a bit strange for me, Goranov said. He does not see anything reprehensible in such a deal to seek any responsibility - moral or political.