On February 10, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five current or former Bulgarian government officials, as well as some of their entities, for their involvement in corruption in Bulgaria.
- Rumen Stoyanov Ovcharov: a current member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) National Council.
- Aleksandar Hristov Nikolov: former CEO and deputy director of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP)
- Ivan Kirov Genov: a former CEO of KNPP and former Bulgarian MP with the BSP
- Nikolay Simeonov Malinov: former member of parliament from the BSP and current leader of the pro-Russian lobby group Russophiles National Movement, as well as founder and chairman of the Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland Political Party.
- Inter Trade 2021 EOOD
- MS Konsult 2016 EOOD
- Russophiles National Movement
- Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland Political Party
- Vladislav Ivanov Goranov: former Bulgarian MP and former Minister of Finance for GERB
- Trilemma Consulting Ltd EOOD
These individuals and the specified entities have been placed under Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, an act which blocks the property of individuals who have committed serious human rights abuses in accordance with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson: “The United States supports our NATO ally Bulgaria in its fight against both entrenched corruption and Russian influence, which undermine democratic institutions.”
The U.S.’s sanctions on the above-mentioned individuals and entities builds on previous OFAC sanctions against Delyan Peevski, Vassil Bojkov, Ilko Zhelyazkov, and related entities. The United Kingdom has also designated Peevski, Bojkov, and Zhelyazkov under the UK Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions Regime. The actions of these two governments show commitment to their partnerships with Bulgaria in fighting corruption in the Balkan state.
Because of the issuing of Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, all of the individuals’ properties and their entities’ properties that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons have been blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Also, financial institutions as well as any other individuals that engage in specific transactions or activities with the sanctioned individuals and entities may be sanctioned or subject to enforcement action.
Ovcharov, Nikolov, Goranov, and their immediate families have also been subjected to visa restrictions by the Department of State under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, an act which, in the case of confirmed corruption or a violation of human rights, denies entry into the United States.
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