Bulgaria's Interior Vows to Focus on Financial Crimes

Interior Minister Tsvetanov (right) and Interior Secretary Georgiev (left) during their news conference on Tuesday. Photo by BGNES

A total of 131 organized crime groups have been investigated since December 2009, Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetanov announced.

Tsvetanov and the top officials of the Interior Ministry held a new conference Tuesday after a meeting of the National Council of the management of the institution.

The top policemen declared that they have managed to achieve certain improvement of the coordination among the various policing institutions in Bulgaria, and have also succeeded in gathering up-to-date information about the persons with criminal records.

A total of 83 persons have been placed in jail over ongoing investigations since December 2009; 39 have been released on bail, while 21 others are being wanted by the police.

Exactly 628 persons are suspect of participating in the 131 suspected organized crime groups.

The Interior Ministry has promised to focus on investigating and prosecuting financial crimes. Interior Minister Tsvetanov pointed to the case of the arrested former District Governor of Dobrich Erdinch Hadzhiev and of the arrested acting City Council Head in Varna, Borislav Gutsanov, as examples of tacking such sort of financial crimes and corruption.

Tsvetanov also said that the Interior Ministry will continue to show the faces of arrested top officials during special operations. He replied to criticism over the controversial video released by the Ministry last week which shows how ex Defense Minister Nikolay Tsonev is being handled by the policemen.

“I see nothing wrong with showing the faces of those who abuses the money of the Bulgarian taxpayer. We have been showing all the time the faces of victims. It is only logical that we also start showing the faces of the perpetrators,” Tsvetanov said arguing this could have a preventive effect.

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