The deputy-PM’s statement came in response to an article in Bulgarian national daily Trud that said the real estate firm gave €2,000 each to seven Bulgarian journalists, who were invited to a press trip in Budapest and Katowice, Poland. According to Trud, when the journalists refused to take the envelopes their hosts explained the money was supposed to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

Péter Lőrincze, the TriGránit executive overseeing the company’s investments in Bulgaria, said a misunderstanding caused the confusion as it turned out later that the company’s agency already paid the journalists’ expenses. “In any case, the practice is outrageous,” said Vasilev, who represents the Bulgarian government in talks with TriGránit. The Hungarian real estate firm – led by tycoon Sándor Demján – plans to invest €500 million in Sofia, developing office and residential properties and a retail project similar to Budapest’s WestEnd shopping mall.