As of May 31, Deputy Interior Minister Roumen Andreev became one of the few high-ranking Bulgarian public officials to be fired almost immediately after being caught by the media and the opposition doing something they shouldn’t have.

On May 29, the day Bulgaria was mourning the 17 victims of the May 28 hellish road accident near the town of Yambol, Andreev went to a private party hosted by another public official.

Ventsislav Rangelov, a high-ranking official at the Sofia police directorate, was celebrating his 50th birthday at one of Sofia’s most luxurious restaurants, the Continental Plaza.
Tipped off by concerned citizens, opposition MP Yane Yanev went to the party together with reporters and Andreev was filmed at the party.

Hours after the news broke that on the day of national mourning, a deputy interior minister was at a party, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev signed Andreev’s dismissal after Interior Minister Mihail Mikov requested it. Mikov told reporters that he knew about the party but only "raised concerns whether it was appropriate how this party would be received".

What stopped Mikov from taking any action against the party was, first, that it had "taken organisers weeks to arrange" and second, because the event also saw money raised for charity. Mikov said that 17 000 leva was raised at the party.

Guests included some of Bulgaria’s football legends – Hristo Stoichkov and Borislav Mihailov – whose busy schedules made it impossible to find another date, Rangelov, who was the reason for the party, told private broadcaster Darik Radio.

Charity or no charity, Andreev was forced to resign, unlike Rangelov, who is also an Interior Ministry official.

Speaking to reporters on June 2, Mikov said: "You see, I don’t have the power to control the private lives of ministry employees".  

Probably it was this reaction by Mikov that made Andreev tell private national Nova Televisia that he felt that he was being made the scapegoat in the situation, implying that there were more Interior Ministry officials at they party, not just him.

Yanev made similar hints, and asked for Mikov’s resignation which Stanishev, when asked by reporters, flatly refused to discuss.

Rangelov’s party seemed also about to cost the post of another public official, after Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov requested the resignation of General Emil Tanev, head of city hall’s public order and security directorate, for attending the party.   

On May 31, the party issue continued to trouble Mikov, but this time it aimed higher than the rank of a minister.

Media reports alleged that President Georgi Purvanov and Mikov had attended a party thrown by the newly elected chairperson of Sofia’s Appellative Court, Vesselin Pengezov, hours after the tragedy near Yambol. The party was held in Sofia’s Lozenets state residence on the occasion of Pengezov’s election – a process that in any case had been the subject of complaints by magistrates and lawyers as lacking transparency. This was not the first time that Purvanov’s name was involved in such a row, after media reports in February 2008 alleged that he went hunting the day when Bulgaria was mourning victims of a train accident. At the time, Purvanov neither confirmed nor denied the reports, although witnesses said he was out hunting on the day of national mourning.

This time around, however, Purvanov was quick to react, firmly denying reports that he had attended Pengezov’s party, adding that the person who started the rumour should "meet me in court".

As for Mikov and Andreev, Purvanov said that a bit of explaining would not harm anyone. "If they were at the party for protocol reasons, then they must say so, but if they have done something that is not in line with the day of national mourning, then there can be no excuse," Purvanov said in a June 1 statement.