Bulgarian Prosecution Confirms Lack of Police Brutality in High-Profile Arrest

Tencho Popov, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, allegedly involved in a bribery case, has vowed to refer his police brutality claim to the ECHR in Strasbourg. Photo by BGNES

The Sofia Regional Prosecutor's Office has concluded that the arrest of Tencho Popov, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, did not involve police brutality.

The prosecution authority has thereby refused to open a case of alleged police brutality against the four police officers from Bulgaria's Unit for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) who took part in the operation in April 2010.

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.

The police brutality probe was launched after the Deputy Sofia City Prosecutor Bozhidar Dzhambazov sent to the Sofia Regional Prosecutor's Office a viodeotape showing the arrest of Popov, during which the policemen can be seen beating him up, hitting his head against a door and stepping on his hand. After the arrest, the police officers are seen by the camera in the office sitting on a couch and posing for a picture.

In the beginning of April 2010, the Inspectorate at the Interior Ministry likewise failed to find evidence of police brutality in Popov's arrest.

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.

As a result, the four policemen faced reprimands over the breach of ethical standards.

However, only one of them was penalized because the the one-year statute of limitations had expired for the other three.

Under the Interior Ministry Act, disciplinary penalties may be imposed no later than two months after the date a violation is discovered and no later than a year after the date the violation occurred. Only gross violations have a longer statute of limitations.

Popov has vowed to sue the state at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg.

The arrest of Nikolay Tsonev on April 01, which was also filmed and broadcast by the Interior Ministry, spurred a public outrage of police brutality as masked police officers made him kneel to the ground while Deputy Sofia City Prosecutor Roman Vasilev called him "a criminal".

The Ethics Commission at Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) later sanctioned Vasilev, for his inappropriate conduct during the arrest.

Vasilev was issued a reprimand, while Tsonev also filed a claim with the ECHR.

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