Bulgaria’s Former Leader Sentenced to 10 Years

SOFIA, Bulgaria —  This nation’s last Communist premier was found guilty Tuesday of giving supporters $8,400 in state funds that were supposed to go to needy orphans. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Georgi Atanasov, 59, had maintained his innocence since his arrest in April on embezzlement charges. He said he would appeal the Supreme Court’s decision.

Atanasov contended that he and a co-defendant, former Economics Minister Stoyan Ovcharov, were victims of political persecution. Ovcharov, 50, also was convicted Tuesday and sentenced to nine years.

They were the latest in a string of former officials sentenced to prison for economic crimes committed during the Communist era. They were accused of embezzling the money from 1986 to 1989 while Atanasov headed the last government under Communist leader Todor Zhivkov.

Zhivkov, 81, was found guilty in September of embezzling $85,000 and sentenced to seven years in prison. He ruled for 35 years before being ousted in a party coup.

Atanasov and Ovcharov were found guilty of misusing a charity fund for orphans by giving the money to 42 orphans of partisans killed during Bulgarian resistance against the Germans during World War II. These people were of middle age or older when they received the money. Children of former partisans were highly privileged and well cared for under the Communist regime.