Five years after Washington sanctioned him over corruption allegations, former Bulgarian deputy minister Alexander Manolev has been removed from a U.S. visa blacklist, as the Trump administration reviews a number of sanctions and restrictions imposed during the Biden era.
SOFIA, June 1 (Balkan View) – The United States has lifted sanctions-related visa restrictions against former Bulgarian deputy economy minister Alexander Manolev, in a move that reflects a broader review of Biden-era sanctions and designation policies under President Donald Trump.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that Manolev had been removed from a designation imposed in 2021 under Section 7031(c), a mechanism used to restrict entry into the United States for foreign officials accused of significant corruption or serious human rights violations.
“The delisting of this individual did occur,” a State Department spokesperson said, adding that the administration was reviewing visa-related measures while prioritising U.S. interests.
Manolev was designated in June 2021 as part of a wider U.S. anti-corruption initiative targeting Bulgarian political and business figures. While businessman and politician Delyan Peevski, businessman Vassil Bozhkov and Ilko Zhelyazkov were sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, Manolev was placed under the separate Section 7031(c) framework, which primarily imposes visa restrictions.
A former rising figure within the GERB party, Manolev resigned in 2019 following controversy surrounding a guesthouse project financed through European Union rural development funds. The case became one of Bulgaria’s most prominent scandals involving alleged misuse of EU money.
Speaking to Bulgarian broadcaster bTV, Manolev welcomed the decision.
“I am happy that after winning all cases against me in Bulgaria, this news is now coming from Washington as well. The lies against me lasted for five years. The truth remains forever,” he said.
The State Department did not publicly explain the reasons for the removal. However, U.S. officials have indicated that the Trump administration is reassessing a number of sanctions and public designations introduced by its predecessor, arguing that such measures should be aligned more closely with U.S. strategic interests.
According to Bulgarian investigative outlet BIRD, lobbying firms working on Manolev’s case reported spending approximately $210,000 in efforts to challenge the U.S. designation.
The decision comes as Manolev’s name resurfaces in newly published investigative materials. BIRD recently released documents under its “#CorruptionLeaks” project, which includes court files, prosecutorial records, witness statements, telecommunications data and requests for the use of special surveillance measures.
According to the outlet, Manolev appears in documents linked to requests for special intelligence-gathering measures in 2020 and 2021 as part of an investigation into alleged bribery, misuse of municipal funds, influence peddling and abuse of office. The documents reportedly originated from Bulgaria’s anti-corruption commission, then headed by former chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov.
BIRD stressed that the leaked archive contains thousands of documents and that analysis of the material remains ongoing.
While the newly released documents do not affect Washington’s decision to remove Manolev from the blacklist, the development is likely to intensify debate in Bulgaria over corruption investigations, political accountability and the effectiveness of international sanctions.
The case also marks one of the clearest examples so far of the Trump administration revisiting measures introduced during the Biden presidency, a process that could have implications beyond Bulgaria as Washington reassesses parts of its sanctions policy.