Rossen Marinov, co-owner of Avtoinzhenering company, was arrested after trying to bribe a public official with 100 000 leva, Bulgarian Focus news agency quoted the State Agency for National Security (SANS) on June 11 2009.
 
Marinov was arrested on Sofia’s Hristo Botev Boulevard in a joint operation by SANS and the General-Prosecutor’s Office. The operation was launched after Marinov offered an official working for the state Executive Agency Fisheries and Aquacultures, within the Ministry of Agriculture, a bribe in relation to a public tender.
 
The public official refused the alleged bribe and alerted authorities, making it the largest bribe refused by a Bulgarian public official so far.
 
SANS has refused to disclose the name of the official but media speculation says that this is the agency’s head Marin Dimitrov. Sofia prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov told Focus that Marinov will be accused of offering a bribe.
 
Marinov first became known to the media in February 2009 when his company Avtoinzhenering put up several billboards in front of the Council of Ministers, claiming it has not received money owed under an EU-funded project.
 
Billboards read: "MrsPlougchieva (Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU Funds), why have these boats not been paid to us for more than a year?"

"Why does Bulgaria have to pay interest and defaults? Why did you lose the European funding for the project? Where is your communication, coordination and control?" the billboards also said.
 
Plougchieva’s comment at the time was that the issue has been sent to court.
 
In March 2009 Marinov’s company applied for a tender organised by the Interior Minister for the supply of 42 fire-fighting vehicles. The tender procedure, however, was halted by Interior Minister Mihail Mikov.  
 
Media speculation has it that Marinov’s company was on the blacklist of companies of European anti-fraud office Olaf.