Construction Supervision Has Again Misled Prosecutor’s Office on Account of Illegal Construction in Bansko Ski Zone

This is another inspection by Blagoevgrad Regional Prosecutor’s Office, which happens on signals from environmentalists, who have for years been trying to expose the illegal felling and construction in the ski zone.

Regional Prosecutor’s Office has not established any violations or crimes. The main reason for this is that the investigating body has always turned to construction supervision agencies to check for violations of ecological laws in construction in Bansko ski zone, although this is within the exclusive competence of Ministry of Environment and Waters (MoEW).

As a result of this manipulative and probably corrupted approach, preposterous contradictions in the resolutions of the Prosecutor’s Office have been reached:

- The Eco-Ministry has documented that the ski runs Plato-1, Shiligarnik 2 and Strazhite, the burnt down teahouse Platoto and a reservoir with volume 15,000 cubic meters have not been set up in conformance with Environmental Protection Act (including the lift Zhelezen Most – Platoto), construction and exploitation licenses are not available, or that the existing licenses have not been observed. However, Blagoevgrad Regional Prosecutor’s Office accepts construction supervision’s conclusion that illegal construction in Bansko ski zone has not been established;

- The Eco-Ministry declares before the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office that the sites in question have not been envisaged in Bansko ski zone Spatial Management Plan, which is confirmed with decision on EIA №57-13/31.07.2013 of MoEW, but Regional Prosecutor’s Office accepts only concessionaire’s and construction supervision’s claims that the sites have been envisaged in the Plan.
- The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office accepts Eco-Ministry’s conclusions that the sites in question have not been included in the concession agreement. But the Regional Prosecutor’s Office does not question concessionaire’s and construction supervision’s information that the sites are included in the annual investment programs of Yulen AD and are coordinated with the Eco-Ministry.

Thus, in practice, the Prosecutor’s Office effaces violation traces not only of the concessionaire, but of construction supervision agencies and the municipality as well, which have allowed construction in Bansko for years, without issued licenses as per the Spatial Management Plan and the Environmental Protection Act, or the licenses issued have been in breach of both laws.
Namely such violations have led to the destruction of more than 650 decares of Pirin National Park over the concession area and to threats for including the park in the list of UNESCO World Heritage in Danger.

In view of the high public interest in the protection of Pirin National Park, environmentalists have already addressed higher Prosecutor’s Office, requesting further objective and impartial inspection of illegal construction in the protected territory.

For contact:
- Alexander Dunchev, WWV - 0885511022
- Lyubomir Kostadinov, WWF - 0889192572

Resolution of Blagoevgrad Prosecutor’s Office

Resolution of Supreme Administrative Prosecutor’s Office