Bulgarian Customs Agency Head Faces Fine for Inadvertent Disclosure of Classified Data
Domestic | February 21, 2012, Tuesday // 13:13| views
Customs Agency head Vanyo Tanov will most likely face a fine of BGN 1000 - 5000 for inadvertently disclosing information constituting a state secret. Photo by BGNES
The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has submitted a proposal with the Sofia City Court for granting Customs Agency head Vanyo Tanov an exemption from criminal liability and imposing an administrative penalty for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
The case against Tanov was opened on a tip-off from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) that the Customs Agency Director had revealed the location of the country's wartime fuel stocks in an interview for the morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on September 01, 2011.
The socialists sent a letter to Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, alerting him to the following words of Tanov: "Speaking about the reserve, it must also be noted that Lukoil Neftochim and Lukoil Bulgaria are under obligation to maintain a certain volume of wartime stocks which is about 8 million liters".
The Customs Agency head was charged with inadvertently disclosing information constituting a state secret.
The prosecuting authority suggested on Tuesday that Tanov should be exempt from criminal liability and should be fined for the offence because he had not planned to make the sensitive information public.
Without the proposal for an administrative penalty, the Customs Agency head would have faced up to two years of imprisonment or probation.
Under the proposal of the prosecuting authority, which cites Article 78a of the Penal Code, Tanov will be fined with BGN 1000 - 5000.
After Tanov was charged with disclosure of state secret and BSP insisted that he should be removed from office and be denied access to classified information, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov declared his unwavering support for the Customs Agency Director.
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