GERB MP: Bulgarian Customs Ridden by Corruption

The Svilengrad Customs on the Bulgarian-Turkish border have long been rumored as the center of large-scale corruption practices. File photo

There is a very serious corruption scam going on at the Customs in the southern town of Svilengrad, on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, according to the Member of the Parliament of the ruling, center right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, Ivan Petrov.

Petrov, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Control of the State Agency for National Security (DANS), spoke Monday in an interview for the private TV channel bTV.

According to the GERB MP, the money acquired through corruption was syphoned to high-level Customs employees, under the watch of the former Deputy Director of the Customs Agency, Antoniy Strandzhev. The scam amounted to EUR 80 000 a month.

Petrov pointed out there is a related investigation in the case and this is why Strandzhev is nervous, but declined offering more details.

Customs Director, Vanyo Tanov, is, most likely, misled and not behind what is happening, the MP says, adding there must be increased control over the Customs.

Petrov declared the contraband scam was plotted by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) during the previous cabinet term when they were in power.

The GERB MP further informed that DANS employees have warned Strandzhev he had been wiretapped.

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