The Sofia City Administrative Court has overturned Bulgargaz’s refusal to disclose information about the actual quantities of natural gas delivered and the payments made under its controversial contract with Turkish state-owned company Botas for 2023-2025. The ruling is final and requires the state-owned gas company to provide the requested information.
The case was brought after Factcheck.bg submitted a request under the Access to Public Information Act seeking details on how much natural gas Bulgargaz actually received under the agreement in 2023, 2024 and 2025, measured in megawatt-hours, as well as how much it paid for the deliveries in each of those years.
Bulgargaz refused to release the information, arguing that it was connected to ongoing negotiations to renegotiate the agreement and was protected as a trade secret. The court rejected those arguments, finding that the requested data concerns matters of public interest because it enables citizens to assess how a state-owned company spends public money and what it receives in return.
The court noted that Bulgargaz is subject to the Access to Public Information Act because it is owned by Bulgarian Energy Holding, which is itself fully state-owned. According to the ruling, there is an overriding public interest whenever public funds are being spent, and Bulgargaz failed to overcome that presumption.
