The Supreme Court (SC) refused to initiate cassation proceedings on the complaint of the National Union against the unfavorable court decision in the dispute with the Bureau for Prevention and Combating Corruption (BPBК), and the party will have to return to the state budget the illegally used funds amounting to 210,673 euros, the LETA agency learned in court.
Currently, another cassation complaint by the National Union regarding the decision of the Bureau for Prevention and Combating Corruption (BPBК) to suspend the party's budget funding for one year is being considered by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will still make a decision on whether to initiate cassation proceedings on this dispute.
Previously, the administrative district court rejected the claims of the National Union, but the party appealed the decisions, so the cases had to be reviewed in the district court.
As reported, on May 28, 2024, the BPBК ordered the National Union to reimburse 210,673 euros to the state budget. This decision was made because in 2022, the party spent state budget funds amounting to 554,627 euros on public relations and political campaigning, thereby exceeding by 210,673 euros the percentage limit that can be spent on one of the three purposes provided for in the law on the financing of political organizations (parties).
On June 11, 2024, the BPBК decided to suspend the allocation of funds from the state budget to the party for one year.
Parties can use state funding only for three purposes - office maintenance, party maintenance, and political campaigning or public relations, but no more than 60% of state funding can be spent on one category of expenses.
It is this limit that the National Union exceeded, spending almost 555,000 euros on electoral campaigning in 2022 with a limit of 344,000 euros.
Leave a comment