Bulgaria's ex-farm fund chief jailed for EU aid deals
(SOFIA) - Bulgaria's former farm fund chief Asen Drumev was sentenced on Thursday to four years in jail for abuse of power and the signing of EU aid deals that defrauded the budget, the Sofia city court said.
Drumev, who headed the fund from 2001 to 2007, was sentenced for unlawfully signing two contracts under the EU pre-accession farm aid programme Sapard with beneficiaries who did not fully comply with EU requirements, the court said.
The sentence can be appealed, the court added.
Bulgaria's parliament appointed Thursday a new minister to oversee the proper use of European Union subsidies and prevent fraud in a move to clean up its record with the EU.
Corruption concerns prompted the European Commission in 2008 to freeze a total of 825 million euros in pre-accession aid to Bulgaria and subsequently axe 220 million euros of it.
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007.
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