Bulgarian PM admits sanctions against Moscow were violated, Borisov's party has been warning for years.
The scandalous revelation of energy giant Lukoil's huge profits by circumventing EU sanctions against Russia and taking advantage of the derogation for Bulgaria has logically attracted Europe's attention.
Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov was forced to admit that a Russian company was allowed to freely violate EU sanctions in Bulgaria and generate huge profits.
Delyan Dobrev, a member of parliament for Boyko Borisov's GERB-UDF party, commented on the probe, noting that he has long warned about the blatant fraud taking place on Bulgarian land.
"I am pleased that the European Commission has launched an investigation. I hope that this derogation is repealed as soon as feasible. We say that the sanctions are bypassed and the effects are obvious since the first day, when Asen Vassilev stormed out of the EC and claimed he would block all sanctions to the EC if they did not provide a waiver for Bulgaria", Delyan Dobrev stressed.
"A lot of what's in here has already been public knowledge. Nothing about this plot to evade sanctions is shocking, except maybe its sheer size. After the probe became public, Nikolay Denkov said, "What should and can be done is to act according to the laws, and where the laws are powerless, to improve them accordingly." He also said that the exception will only be in effect until the end of October.
"The derogation is being shortened, it was until the end of 2024, at the moment by a decision of the National Assembly we have shortened it until October with the idea that we should gradually switch to non-Russian oil to make sure that it does not turn out that the port lacks oil and hence the refinery cannot operate," the leader stated.
Delyan Dobrev, a GERB-SDS lawmaker, reflected on how he had long warned of this very thing.
We have been telling you for over a year and a half that the derogation solely helps the Kremlin government and that Bulgarians foot the cost. Politico told you this today and it suddenly became news, but it is not news. The last six months have seen enough money leave Bulgarian wallets to finance Putin's administration for an entire year of Wagner paramilitary operations. Dobrev emphasized that only the Kremlin benefited from the derogation.
He pointed out that 12 EU nations have cheaper fuel prices than Bulgaria, proving that Russia is receiving the full benefit of the exemption. The percentage of Russian oil used in the refinery varied between 48 and 52 percent in the final two years of the GERB government and before the war. This percentage is now 94%, up from 0% at the start of the war.
BGNES reminds that an examination conducted jointly by the non-governmental organization Global Witness, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and published by "Politico" found that Lukoil's revenues were above 1 billion euros. In order to secure local supply when the EU embargo on Russian oil went into effect in December 2022, Bulgaria was given a derogation. However, the refinery did not use the opportunity to satisfy Bulgarian demand. Over 4.95 million tons of Russian oil were processed in the first 10 months of 2023, netting the Kremlin over €1.13 billion in direct tax income. In the first ten months of 2023, the refinery's marine exports of refined petroleum products were valued at 984 million euros. /BGNES
