Sofia City Prosecutors have laid charges against former defence minister Nikolai Tsonev, alleging that in his capacity as a minister he had caused more than eight million leva in damages to the ministry's 2009 budget.

According to the indictment, Tsonev had approved a deal to buy an UBM metal construction production line even though the budget made no provision for the purchase.

The request for the purchase of the production line came from General Zlatan Stoykov, the former chief of staff of the Bulgarian army.

The Defence Ministry budget had to pay a total of 8025 825 leva for the production line although "there was no economic logic for such a move," the indictment said.

Tsonev is the third member of the previous coalition cabinet who has been officially charged with committing a crime. Charges also have been laid against former agriculture minister Valeri Tsvetanov for allowing illegal land swop deals, and former labour and social policy minister Emilia Maslarova is accused of embezzling millions of leva through a deal to renovate a Stara Zagora building.

The charges against Tsonev mean that all three former ruling parties have one of their former ministers indicted. Maslarova is a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Tsonev is a member of the National Movement for Stability and Progress and Tsvetanov is a member of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

Former prime minister and current BSP leader Sergei Stanishev is being probed for mishandling classified information.