Sofia Court Corruption Allegations Expand With New Audio Release
Investigative outlet bird.bg published a new audio fragment involving former Supreme Administrative Court (BAC) head Georgi Cholakov and former administrative judge Veselin Dimitrov, known by the nickname “Lyutenitsata,” discussing alleged corruption in public procurement appeals. The newly released recording shifts the discussion from “bags” of money to a “basket” of cash offered for favorable outcomes in administrative litigation.
Disputed Bids and Procurements Under Scrutiny
The audio captures Dimitrov discussing a specific administrative dispute involving Todor Petkov, whose side lost a tender and filed a complaint with the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC). In the recording, Dimitrov tells Cholakov that the losing party is “screwed” and expects the court to honor their appeal, to which Cholakov responds by acknowledging CPC proceedings, with Cholakov stating: And the CPC they… /inaudible/
An examination of public procurement records via the BIRD platform indicates that the sole tender linked to the name Todor Petkov and contested before the CPC involves street repairs in Sofia’s Mladost district from 2023. Although the CPC rejected that complaint, court registries do not show a subsequent appeal filed with the Supreme Administrative Court.
Dimitrov Acted as Intermediary for Competing Bribes
Throughout the conversation, Dimitrov describes his function as a central intermediary who tracks case files using handwritten notes and informs applicants of case outcomes. He recounts confronting Cholakov about stalled decisions, explaining that another interested party had intervened with a larger financial offer, quoting Dimitrov: And good thing I have them photographed, because honestly, I’ve been taking … a sheet, they leave a sheet of paper with me, so I can track them, call them, tell them the bad news.
Dimitrov adds: When I brought him, when he started yelling at me, but he’s not yelling at me,
and Cholakov replies: He shouldn’t think… he shouldn’t think that everyone is like him,
while Dimitrov continues: and I tell him, wait a minute man,
Dimitrov further remarks: why aren’t our things happening for us anymore?,
I just know who has been promised. You bring me something, I go and I take it. Plus I say, not every single thing can happen.I say, what to happen. Plus Todor Petkov… they are the screwed side and didn’t win. And I told him: What do you think, when they come from the other side and offer a basket of cash, you don’t think it goes, do you think and when it goes, because…, I say… Friday, call me. And when it goes, I say, what can he do, he is not their boss, he goes, it’s a matter of attitude, like that.
Cholakov defends the limits of judicial influence in the recording, noting that magistrates do not operate as unquestioned superiors over case assignments. The investigative report also notes that companies directly linked to Dimitrov have secured nearly 30 милиона евро in public contracts over the years, including over 2 милиона евро from European funds.
Prosecutors Investigate Recordings Cholakov Claimed Were AI Generated
Following the publication of earlier audio recordings involving Cholakov and Dimitrov, the former court president dismissed the material as inauthentic and generated by artificial intelligence. The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office subsequently opened an investigation into the matter, though prosecutors have not yet issued a final ruling. Bird.bg maintains that its technical analysis shows no evidence of artificial intelligence manipulation and that the recordings are authentic.
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