Sixteen MPs headed to a fictitious party, where they have been promised expensive mobile phones, during Parliament's work hours. The party was organized by journalists from bTV and the "168 Chassa" daily.

The journalists invited 38 MPs to what was supposed to be press launching of mobile phones of the value of over 6,000 leva, bTV writes on its website. The MPs were told that they would receive the mobile phones as presents. Sixteen national representatives accepted the invitation and went to the party venue by cars of the National Assembly fleet.

MPs of all political parties but the Blue Coalition went to the party. Of these eight were from the GERB party (Luchezar Ivanov, Emil Goushterov, Evgeni Stoev, Ivailo Toshev, Genoveva Alexieva, Svetoslav Tonchev, Alexander Stoikov, Dian Chervenkondev), three from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Mithat Metin, Erdogan Ahmedov and Petya Raeva), Kiril Goumnerov from Ataka, Roumen Takorov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, Bisserka Petrova and Darin Matov of the former group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice and independent MP Dimiter Choukarski.

bTV journalist Stoyan Georgiev explained that the MPs were invited on behalf of the Klaus Barbie Boutique. Actually, Klaus Barbie is the name of a war criminal of the time of WWII, also known as the "Butcher of Lyon".

Speaking before journalists Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that he is ashamed of the MPs' behaviour. Taking a question he noted, however, that the GERB parliamentary group is the most disciplined one.

Parliament Chair Tsetska Tsacheva said that it is inadmissible to use such experiments so as to create the impression that Parliament is not working. Most MPs are performing their constitutional duties conscientiously and the actions of separate MPs cannot serve as a basis to conclude that the National Assembly is not performing its duties. Tsacheva said, however, that she will petition the Ethics Commission on the case.

Source: BTA