Bulgaria may sign deal with Russian firm on repairs to two MiG fighters – defence minister

Having said earlier that Bulgaria would not extend a costly contract with a Russian firm to maintain the country’s ageing fleet of MiG fighter aircraft, Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev said that Bulgaria could sign a deal on having two repaired for a price of about 24 million leva (about 12.2 million euro).

Nenchev’s statement on May 4 came after he signalled repeatedly that he would not extend the long-standing contract on the repair of the Russian-made MiGs, and last week said in a media interview that he had been offered a bribe – with subsequent threats – to get him to extend the contract, which expires in September.

Prosecutors initiated an investigation into Nenchev after reports of his statement about unnamed persons allegedly offering the bribe and issuing the threats, because of his failure to report this to the proper authorities.

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