BULGARIAN PROPERTY RESTITUTION SUCCESSES

UNCLAS SOFIA 000310 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPAO AINT BU SIPDIS SUBJECT: BULGARIAN PROPERTY RESTITUTION SUCCESSES ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: At the end of June, the history of property restitution in Bulgaria will be presented as a success story at a Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague. For several years, the Embassy has actively advocated with government officials at different levels to help the Jewish community regain property confiscated during the Communist era, including the Rila hotel in downtown Sofia, a hospital building in Sofia, and a former rabbi's house in Varna, which fell in a fenced-off, secured area occupied by the Defense Ministry. With recent developments, the Jewish organization Shalom considers all three issues resolved (though not entirely to the community's full satisfaction). End Summary. ¶2. (U) In 2008, the community received as unofficial partial compensation for the Rila hotel the two upper floors added by the Communist government to a building that was restituted to Shalom in ¶2003. The community lost the Rila hotel to controversial businessman, Vassil Bozhkov, a.k.a. the Skull, after a series of arbitrary court decisions. Until recently, the Bulgarian government had failed to implement a 2006 Interministerial Committee recommendation to return a hospital building in Sofia to Shalom. In March 2009, the court terminated the hospital management's case contesting the Jewish organization Shalom's ownership of the building. In April, the hospital moved to its new premises and started admitting patients. Since May, the Jewish community has officially occupied the building, though the hospital management appeal of the case is pending before the appellate court. ¶3. (U) The community decided not to pursue reclaiming the former rabbi's house. The prior leadership declined an offer of an alternative site, which it deemed insufficient compensation, tactically reducing its options and leverage. The community pushed on the other disputes instead. ¶4. (U) Comment: We have strongly advocated at all levels of the Bulgarian government and to other embassies for just compensation and return of Jewish properties. We have long supported the Jewish community as it has struggled with many of the bureaucratic obstacles and judicial failures faced by others with restitution claims. End Comment. McEldowney