Environmentalists referred to the Chief Prosecutor the case of a proved failure to collect over half a million concession taxes at Bansko ski-zone

In order to ensure protection of Pirin National Park and of the public interest, environmentalists are prepared to cooperate with the institutions in fulfilling of the main recommendations of the National Audit Office report on the audit of the Bansko ski-zone concession. Among the most important recommendations are increase of control, preparation of public analyses of the execution of the concession and the incomes from it, clarification of the size of the used area and the legal status of the sites in the ski zone, as well as clarification of the contract.
In the first place, For the Nature in Bulgaria Coalition sends a signal to Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov of criminal inaction of state officials and of the concessioner presenting misleading information. All of this has led to a proven failure to collect over half a million of concession taxes at Bansko ski zone.

The data of missed incomes for the state is put forward in Audit Report No 0400002611 for audit of concession contract Bansko ski zone – part of National Park Pirin territory, for the period from 01.01.2009 to 31.12.2011. The final audit report is released with Ordinance No 076/18.03.2013 of the National Audit Office.

Unfortunately, the report is not exhaustive and not all mechanisms for reducing the profit of the activity are described in it. Such an example is the huge rent paid by the Concessioner to a related offshore company. As a result a liability of around 35 million leva for rent of facilities, acquired from the based in Cyprus company for 470,000 leva, has been accumulated.
The factual analysis is contained in the report of the auditing body:

“The tourist season is the time, during which the concessioner fulfills its main activity on the territory of the ski zone. It is established that from 2002 till 2010 the concessioner set the duration of the tourist season from 01.12 to 30.04, that is, the duration is 150 days. For 2011 the duration is set from 01.12 to 17.04, that is – 135 days. The financial calculations of Yulen AD, based on which the expected incomes from the activities are estimated in the Complex plan of the tender documentation, rest on the assumption that all facilities will be exploited for 100 days during the winter season. This duration should not be regarded as fixed for the whole period of the concession, but the calculation of the concession payments should be based on the actual duration of the tourist season in the corresponding year.




The data shows that on duration of the season of 150 days for the time till 2009 and 135 days for 2010 and 2011, as it is defined in the documents of Yulen AD, the value of the due concession payment for the period 2002 through 2011 should be with 562,494.44 more.