Valentin Ventsislavov Hristov

Public record

Compiled from publications and official records as of 01.11.2026. Every statement links to its source; claims made by others are marked as such, with who makes them. Quotations in English are our translation.

Corruption and scandals

• A 36 million lev sports hall tender. RFE/RL Bulgaria describes the tender for the multifunctional sports hall in Pleven: 36 million lev with VAT under the agreement between the municipality and the regional ministry, and a contract with the consortium DZZD Pleven Sport AT for nearly 35 million lev, over 4,200 lev per sq m. The consortium of Arete Stroy and Tanderbild was the only one admitted to the financial offer; the others were disqualified earlier, so according to municipal councillor Chavdar Hristanov of the Edinenie party „нямаше реално състезание“ (our translation: there was no real competition). PP-DB MP Bogdan Bogdanov tells the outlet that two items alone are inflated by 8 million lev and the total „корупционна ставка“ (our translation: corruption margin) is about 17 million lev; Hristanov says: „Проектът е безумно раздут като стойност спрямо пазарните цени“ (our translation: the project is insanely inflated against market prices). The outlet presents the criticism as coming from the opposition in Pleven. The municipality and the regional ministry did not answer its question whether the hall would also be included in the changes to the investment programme. Of the two firms only Arete Stroy replied, saying its offer is „изцяло съобразена“ (our translation: fully in line) with the specifics of the site and the contracting authority's requirements. — RFE/RL Bulgaria, 28.08.2025
• The hall's contractors and Delyan Peevski. RFE/RL Bulgaria writes that Arete Stroy won the equipment tender for Arena Burgas, where, according to the outlet, part of the equipment is missing despite payment and a new tender has been announced. The firm replied that the order entrusted to it in 2021 was fulfilled and that it cannot comment on another company's decisions about the new one. The other consortium firm, Tanderbild EOOD, was registered in 2022; its owner is Daniela Chakalova-Andreeva, whose husband Kristiyan Andreev, according to a Commercial Register check, is among the directors of Kelet Bulgaria. The outlet notes that a number of media publications link better-known companies in which he has a stake to Delyan Peevski. Written questions to the press office of DPS-New Beginning went unanswered. — RFE/RL Bulgaria, 28.08.2025
• Part of the hall's site sold to the owner of the hospital he once directed. According to RFE/RL Bulgaria, in February the mayor proposed to the municipal council that part of the hall's site be sold to Targovska Liga – Global Pharmacy Centre, owner of the Sartse i Mozak hospital in Pleven, and this happened. Before being elected mayor he was himself a director of the same hospital. PP-DB MP Bogdan Bogdanov says the decision „буди съмнения за конфликт на интереси“ (our translation: raises doubts of a conflict of interest). In his February signal to the institutions he asked for a check of the tender, but as of publication this had not happened, the outlet says. — RFE/RL Bulgaria, 28.08.2025
• Appeals to the competition commission and the audit agency's reply. Club Z recalls that in November 2024 the regional ministry announced that the mayors of Pleven and Lovech had committed to prioritise water and sewerage projects over others in the investment programme. According to the outlet the tender for the hall went ahead anyway, and while the other bidders appeal to the competition commission (КЗК), the municipality chose the fast procedure with preliminary execution. Bogdan Bogdanov, a former minister of economy and now a PP-DB MP from Pleven, tells the outlet that his signal to the institutions was answered only by the Agency for State Financial Inspection (АДФИ), which said it could step in only after the КЗК appeal procedure over the tender ended. — Club Z, 19.08.2025