Bulgarian Interior Ministry Dismisses Police Brutality Case
Domestic | May 19, 2011, Thursday // 15:50| viewsTencho Popov appearing in court. Photo by BGNES.
The arrest of the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, Tencho Popov, involves no police brutality , Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvatanov told journalists Thursday.
Commenting on the results of the Interior Ministry's check, Tsvetanov declared that the only problematic aspect of the arrest was that two of the masked policemen had posed for a picture during the operation, undermining the prestige of the institution they represent.
On April 27, during a high-profile trial against the country's former Defense Minister, Nikolay Tsonev and two other officials, a video was shown in court of financial consultant Tencho Popov, one of the defendants, being beaten up by employees of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry.
Popov's head was being hit against a door case and he was consequently seen lying on the ground with a masked police officer stepping on his hand.
The action took place at the notary office of Popov's wife, it was caught on camera by an Interior Ministry employee and was given to the Sofia City Court by the defense.
Popov, Tsonev and judge Petar Santirov were charged with bribing investigator Petyo Petrov to forge evidence that would lead to a positive outcome for Tsonev of another investigation against him. The amount of the bribe was reported to have been EUR 60 000.
Upon learning of the case, Minister Tsvetanov pledged to penalize the ones in charge of the violent act, while Prime Minister Borisov urged dismissals.
On May 19, however, Tsvetanov explained that the policemen had stepped on Popov's hand to guard against potential aggressive reactions on his part and to prevent destruction of real evidence.
Regarding the head bashing, the case was yet to be decided by the Prosecutor's Office, Tsvetanov informed, trying to avoid "improvised" interpretations of the video material.
Four of the officers of Bulgaria's Unit for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP), who took part in the operation, face reprimands over the breach of ethical standards.
However, only one of them can be penalized because the the one-year statute of limitations has expired for the other three.
"The conduct of the NY policemen who detained Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, does not differ from the way Bulgarian offenders are detained", Tsvetanov stated.
Tsvetanov also made it clear that they had not yet received the full "bribery" video from the camera in Tencho Popov's office.
According to Tsvetanov, the recording shows a secretary trying to block the door as the troops are entering. Popov, on the other hand, is attempting to obstruct a police order.
The secretary in question and Popov later explained that the masked men had failed to announce they were officers of the Ministry of Interior, creating the impression of an assault.
Tsvetanov made it clear that the special forces had entered the premises without any prior research.
Asking all wrongdoers to cooperate with police forces and obey their orders, he concluded "In this case, I can assure you, the policemen will be as polite, ethical and attentive as possible, because that is what they have been instructed to do by the Ministry of Interior and the court is the one to decide on the guilt of the detainees".
The materials pertaining to the check of the Ministry of Interior will be filed with the Sofia Prosecutor's Office.
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