Bulgarian Deputy Interior Minister Resigns over Corruption Scandal

The Bulgarian Deputy Interior Minister, Raif Mustafa, has handed in his resignation over publications that link him to a corruption scandal.

Mustafa, who is a MP for the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), stated in an official party press release that he did not want to harm his party who had put a lot of faith in him.

He added that before he clears his name he also does not want DPS to include him on their list for the July 5 general elections.

Mustafa was not clear about what corruption scandal the publications suggested he was involved in. It is alleged however that Mustafa is linked to the scandal that saw Bulgaria's National Agency for State Security (DANS) arrest a business owner while attempting to pay a bribe to a "high ranking State employee" on Thursday, BGNES reported.

Rosen Marinov, owner of the "Auto Engineering" company, was arrested during a raid on his office located on "Hristo Botev" boulevard in downtown Sofia.

The authorities busted Marinov while offering a bribe of BGN 100 000.

The State Employee refused to take the money. He is a Head of a Directorate at one of the Ministries, but DANS declined to offer further details.

DANS further informed that the "Auto Engineering" company is a business that has been of interest for the EU anti-fraud office OLAF.

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