Bulgaria"s Corporate Commercial Bank continues to hold the biggest share of the money of strategic state-owned companies, a check has shown.

"There is no significant change in the data about the banks which serve state-controlled enterprises in comparison with last year," a high-ranking governmental official told 24 Hours daily, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bulgaria"s Corporate Commercial Bank holds nearly half of the money of strategic state-owned companies, it emerged in the middle of last year under pressure from the media.

The data was provided by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov at the request of the editors-in-chief of eleven of the biggest print media in Bulgaria, who approached the department, citing the law for access to information.

The data showed that nearly 65% of the monies of Bulgaria"s top 18 state-run companies are managed by three banks, whose market share does not exceed 9% - Corporate Commercial Bank (48%), EIBank, where the prime minister"s long-time live-in girlfriend Tsvetelina Borislavova held a 18% stake and the Central Cooperative Bank.

The eighteen companies listed included the Bulgarian energy holding and its units (gas monopoly Bulgargas, gas pipeline operator Bulgartransgas, state power utility NEK, nuclear power plant Kozloduy, thermal power plant Maritsa East II), as well as tobacco monopoly Bulgartabac, Bulgaria Posts, Sofia Airport, the Bulgarian Railways Company.

The top companies deposited in banks BGN 856 M by the end of the first quarter of the year 2010, which was down by BGN 343 M or 29% in comparison with August the previous year.

The slump was attributed to the government policy to encourage companies with state-owned stakes to pay dividends in a bid to boost the budget.

At the beginning of 2011 the European Commission launched an investigation against Bulgaria on allegations of allotting state aid to Corporate Commercial Bank, which is believed to finance the media group of mogul Irena Krasteva.

Acting on the suspicious revelations, Bulgaria"s finance ministry issued new criteria for attracting deposits from strategic state-owned companies, but the move apparently entailed no consequences.