Bulgarian 'Tapegate' to Enter EU Parliament

Bulgaria in EU | February 15, 2011, Tuesday // 08:35|  views

The European Parliament will discuss the recent Bulgarian eavesdropping scandal. File photo

The European Parliament will discuss the recent Bulgarian wiretapping scandal, involving leaked conversations of high officials, on Tuesday.

MEPs from the Party of European Socialists and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (among whom Bulgarian MEPs Antoniya Parvanova and Stanimir Ilchev) have sent a parliamentary question to the EU Commission in relation to the use of special surveillance devices in Bulgaria - which has been much discussed in the country since the scandal erupted.

The parliamentary procedure will not lead to a resolution, the Bulgarian National Radio has informed.

The recent Bulgarian "Tapegate"- scandal, which began with the leak of three tapes with discrediting conversations between the Director of the Customs Agency, Vanyo Tanov, and his superiors – Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, and Deputy Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, suggesting the Bulgarian Customs Agency was under political pressure.

The first tapes were released at a news conference held by the Galeria weekly, a paper believed to be the mouthpiece of Aleksei Petrov, former special agent of the State Agency for National Security DANS, (currently under own recognizence), who has been investigated on organized crime charges since his detention in the much advertised "Operation Octopus" in February 2010.

As the scandal gained momentum, Galeria released a tape of a conversation between Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov and the Customs Director, alleging Borisov provided a cover-up for the owner of the "Ledenika" beer company, Mihail Mihov.

The latest "Tanovgate" chapter included a recording in which Borisov instructs Tanov to make sure Customs agent, Nikolay Vuchev, a friend with whom he often plays football, is brought back to work at terminal 2 at Sofia airport.

The offices of Galeria were destroyed by a blast on Wednesday. The perpetrator is yet unknown.

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Tags: wiretapping, Tapegate, Vanyo Tanov, Boyko Borisov, stanimir ilchev, Antoniya Parvanova, European parliament, European Commission, resolution

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