Bulgarian FBI Calls Ex PM Over Classified Leaks - Report

Domestic | June 2, 2010, Wednesday // 20:49|  views

Bulgaria's former Prime Minister and socialist leader, Sergey Stanishev, reportedly faces Prosecutor's charges. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, (BSP), Sergey Stanishev, had been questioned over alleged classified information leaks, the online edition of “24 Chassa” (24 Hours) daily reports.

Stanishev is to be called at the National Agency for State Security (DNS) one more time by the end of the week.

The interrogations have been kept secret to avoid media attention.

In November 2009, the ex PM, upon a request of the Chief Prosecutor, gave up his immunity as a Member of the Parliament, which allowed the beginning of a probe against him for alleged leaks of classified information.

The documents in question include an over a year-old top secret report by the National Security Agency (DANS), which sheds light on the influence of criminal organizations within certain ministries and state agencies.

At the end of October, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced he had received the report from former secret service agent Aleksei Petrov. The PM said his predecessor Stanishev obtained the document in 2008, but did not return it to the relevant department at the Council of Ministers and the report disappeared after that. Under security protocols, all copies of confidential reports are also to be returned to DANS.

The report further leaked to the media and ended up being published online.

It was recently reported by Bulgarian media, citing undisclosed sources from the Prosecutor's Office, that Stanishev is expected to be charged formally by the end of this week. The charges will be only over lost classified reports, according to “24 Chassa.” One of the them, codenamed “Weasel” is, allegedly, against a former minister from Stanishev's Three-Way Coalition cabinet, but not from the BSP quota. The other one involves people and groups “having destructive effect” on ministries and other State institutions.

Aleksei Petrov and 13 other people were arrested in February in a special police operation codenamed “Octopus” over charges of organized crime – illegal drug trafficking, prostitution, racket, and money laundering, among others. Of the 14, only alleged ringleader and former secret services undercover agent, Aleksei Petrov, and Mario Dzholotov, believed to be Petrov’s right hand, remain behind bars.

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Tags: Sergey Stanishev, DANS, State Agency for National Security, Bulgarian Socialist Party, Aleksei Petrov, classified report

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