The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boiko Borisov, trained to be a firefighter, served as bodyguard to the former king, and is a karate expert. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, he also has not requested reimbursement for his expenses on official trips. Unlike most world leaders, Borisov pays his own way.
At least, this was the response to a Bulgarian Access to Information request filed by journalist Vesselka Venkova of the Bulgarian Duma daily. In November 2009, under the Bulgarian Access to Public Information Act (APIA), Venkova inquired about the dates and destinations, types of transportation , and expenses paid regarding the Premier’s official domestic trips since his 27 July 2009 inauguration.
Venkova was granted partial access to the requested information. Borisov’s office surprisingly responded that the Prime Minister had paid by himself for the trips –implying that he had not spent any public money, and therefore was not required to disclose such information. To prove this, the Prime Minister’s office provided a single receipt for 154.39 BGN ($102). Borisov’s office also disclosed that memos had been written about each of the trips, that the Prime Minister traveled in the National Protection Service’s cars, and that he had also used the government airplane Falcon 2000 and a military helicopter. The response contained no information about the dates and destinations of his trips within Bulgaria.
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