Whistleblowing activities

Allegations under the Whistleblowers Protection Act may be submitted for violations of Bulgarian legislation or of the European Union acts referred to in the law in the areas referred to in Article 3 of the law, related to the activities of the Bulgarian Development Bank EAD.

Reporting through the internal reporting channel of the Bulgarian Development Bank EAD (procedure for reporting infringements)

Please note that:

• No proceedings shall be initiated in respect of anonymous signals or signals relating to violations committed more than two years ago.
• Whistleblowers who do not fall under the scope of the Whistleblowers Protection Act and whose content does not warrant being considered credible shall not be considered.
• Allegations containing manifestly false or misleading statements of fact shall be returned with instructions to the whistleblower to correct the allegations and to inform them of their liability for incrimination under Article 286 of the Penal Code.
• If the report does not comply with the requirements of the law for its submission, the whistleblower shall be informed in order to remedy the irregularities. If they are not rectified within 7 days of the notification, the report, together with its annexes, shall be returned to the reporting person.

A model form approved by the national authority for external whistleblowing, the Commission for the Protection of Personal Data (CPPD), shall be used to register the whistleblowing and shall contain at least the following data:

1. the sender's full name, address and telephone number, as well as e-mail address, if available;
2. the name of the person against whom the alert is made and their place of work, if the alert is made against specific persons and they are known;
3. specific details of the offence or of the real risk of an offence being committed, the place and period of the offence, if any, a description of the act or the situation and other circumstances, in so far as these are known to the person making the alert;
4. the date on which the alert was given;
5. signature, electronic signature or other identification of the reporting person.

The alert may be accompanied by any sources of information supporting the allegations made and/or by reference to documents, including details of persons who could confirm the information reported or provide additional information.

A written report shall be submitted:

1. by post to postal address: Sofia 1000, 1 Dyakon Ignatius Street. The envelope shall be marked with the text "Alert under the MHPSPOIN" and the name of the Bank - it is necessary to sign the alert by hand;
2. via the electronic form at: signals@bdbank.bg - the alert must be signed with a qualified electronic signature (QES);
3. on the spot at the office at the address: Sofia 1000, 1 Dyakon Ignatius Street. The envelope shall be marked with the text "Signal under the LPSPOIN" and the name of the Bank.

An oral signal shall be submitted:

in person, at an agreed time with an employee of the Regulatory Compliance Department.

A verbal signal is given:

• by personal appointment, on a suitable day and time agreed with the Regulatory Compliance and Control Officer responsible for receiving, recording and dealing with whistleblowing, at the request of the whistleblower.

The time of the personal meeting shall be arranged by telephone (+359 2 930 6333) or e-mail (office@bdbank.bg).

An oral report shall be documented by the completion of the form by the Whistleblowing Officer. The whistleblower will be asked to sign it if he/she wishes.

Within 7 days of receipt of the alert, the alert officer will acknowledge receipt and provide you with the alert logging information and its Unique Identification Number (UIN) and the date the alert was received. This unique identification number will be applied to any subsequent information or communication regarding the alert.