Nikolai Tsonev

Nikolay Georgiev Tsonev (; born 9 June 1956) is a Bulgarian military officer, professor and politician. He served as the Bulgarian Minister of Defence between 2008 and 2009.

Biography Nikolay Tsonev was born on June 9, 1956, in the town of Pernik. He graduated from the "Georgi Dimitrov" People's Artillery and Air Defence Forces School in Shumen and in 1978 he became an officer in the Bulgarian Armed Forces. In the years from 1986 through 1989, he studied at Air Defense School "Vassilyevski" in Kyiv. In 1992, he left the army. and remained on this position until the change of the cabinet on July 27, 2009.

On June 24, 2012, at the founding meeting of the political party "Nova Alternativa" he was elected chairman of the party. The party has a centrist orientation and professes patriotic-liberal ideas.

Allegations and cases In the months following the end of his tenure as defense minister, Nikolay Tsonev was investigated for abuses during his rule of the Ministry of Defence. On 1 April 2010 spectacular was arrested and charged with offering a bribe to an investigator at the time of his arrest deputy city prosecutor Roman Vasilev called Tsonev "absolute criminal". On 28 October 2012 he was acquitted by Sofia City Court on that charge.

On 1 June 2012 Tsonev was acquitted by the Supreme Court in another case – to conclude a four unprofitable transactions in 1999 when the head of "Management of supply" in the Ministry of Defence.

Tsonev is acquitted in all cases This has been cited as a key case of evidence of general corruption in Bulgaria's economy. and in August 2015 ordered the prosecution of second instance to pay him compensation amounting to 15 thousand Bulgarian lev.