Nikolay Zonev

Nikolaj Georgiev Zonev (also written Nikolay Georgiev Zonev , Bulgarian Николай Георгиев Цонев ; born June 9, 1956 in Pernik ) is a Bulgarian politician and officer .

Life

Nikolai Zonew was born in the western Bulgarian city of Pernik. He studied artillery at the Vasil Levski Military Academy Veliko Tarnovo and was an officer in the Bulgarian People's Army from 1978 . Between 1986 and 1989 he studied at the Soviet Military Academy in Kiev .

In 1992 he left the army. In the years that followed, he was in charge of several companies, including the Chilana (Bulgarian: Нилана) bakery . In 1996 he studied accounting at the University of National and World Economy and in 2005 philosophy at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia .

Between 1999 and 2000, Zonew was head of the Department of Management in the Ministry of Defense. In 2001 he became an advisor to the Minister of Defense Nikolai Swinarov . A year later he was Zonew head of the "Social Department" in the Ministry. On April 24, 2008, Zonev was appointed Minister of Defense in the Stanishev cabinet . He remained in that post until the 2009 parliamentary elections, when the Bulgarian ruling Socialist Party suffered defeat. He was succeeded as Defense Minister by Nikolay Mladenov .

After his tenure, former Defense Minister Nikolay Zonev was arrested on April 1, 2010 for attempted bribery and corruption. On June 1, 2012, he was acquitted by the Bulgarian District Court in another case.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Николай Цонев. Кратка биография . Дарик. 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
2. ^ Federal Agency for Civic Education: Bulgaria
3. ↑ Борис Митов: Ексминистър Николай Цонев окончателно оневинен по първото си дело . Media pool. 2012. Retrieved on 1 June 2012.