THE PARVANOVA SYNDROME

There are startling developments surrounding the alleged conspiracy by Bulgarian socialists and former communists in Europe to destroy the candidacy of Rumiana Jeleva, who was in line to replace Bulgaria’s only E.U. Commissioner, Megelena Kuneva.
It now being claimed in some quarters that the conspiracy began when the former Estonian president, Siim Kallas, one of the five vice–presidents of the European Commission, who was also a former member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, started the ball rolling by contacting the Bulgarian MEP, Antonia Parvanova. Those who say they know about the role played by Kallas also allege he had to be acting to please others, among them Bulgaria’s only incumbent Commissioner, Megelena Kuneva, who was angry when she learned she was to be replaced by the Bulgarian foreign minister, Rumiana Jeleva.
The same sources claim Siim Kallas asked the Bulgarian MEP Antonia Parvanova to investigate Jeleva to see if she could find “any dirty linen in Jeleva’s closet” – anything in her personal or marital background that could be used to discredit her and thereby derail her candidacy. If that is true, Kallas chose Parvanova, not because of her medical background and her lack of familiarity with legal documents, but because she could spread rumours about Jeleva with the assistance of fellow MEPs and pass them to the international media. In parts of the media, especially in Die Welt, Jeleva’s husband was portrayed as a member of the Mafia and Jeleva herself described as a “Mafia Bride” – accusations which were libelous.
It is also alleged that Siim Kallas’ had dealings with Parvanova in the days before the Brussels hearing, which coincided with Parvanova unearthing inaccurate information about Jeleva’s relationship to the company, Global Consult. If this turns out to be accurate, Kallas and Parvanova would have contravened EU laws. Parvanova, as a Bulgarian, investigating the private life of Rumiana Jeleva, who happened to be her country’s foreign minister, would have broken Bulgarian laws designed to protect the privacy of senior political figures. It has now transpired that the “documents” Parvanova presented at the Jeleva hearing had been fed to the Financial Times of Germany and other media outlets hours before the hearing.
If the Commission and the Bulgarian Justice Ministry decide to open an investigation into the conspiracy they could unearth a “paper trail” that will expose the origins and development of this conspiracy. It is up to journalists and the Commission to delve into the alleged Kallas-Parvanova connection. The Bulgarian government may ask its Justice Ministry to investigate the actions of Antonia Parvanova. Her role in what became a tawdry spectacle for the EU and Bulgaria could result in her own political downfall. Jeleva’s interrogation in Brussels was the result of a well planned conspiracy, which could become known in time as the “Parvanova Syndrome.” It is a conspiracy in which a female of one nation helps to destroy the career of a female fellow national without considering the fact that it will subject their nation and international institutions to ridicule. The “P. Syndrome” could also be defined as bitchiness, callousness and a willingness to do what is necessary to pervert the truth in the pursuit of the political destruction of a perceived competitor.
If Siim Kallas was a major player in the conspiracy one could understand why he did not use his own legal secretaries to investigate Jeleva. That would have left and obvious paper trail would have placed him front and center of the conspiracy and questions would have been asked in Brussels about his motivation. Using Parvanova as a tool would have been designed to hide his role and those on whose behalf he is now alleged to have acted. If he is shown to have been a key player, the focus will shift to his motives because Rumiana Jeleva meant nothing to him personally. However, if the allegations are proved to be true, ideology and partisan E.U. politics may have meant everything to him.
Finally, could it really be that Mrs. Kuneva’s claim in 2006 that the iPod was bad for Bulgarian youth made her more suitable for the role of commissioner than Mrs. Jeleva?