Bulgaria's Embattled Ex-Interior Min May Face 'Immediate' Charges

Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has announced that charges will be “immediately” pressed against former Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov – once the latter is stripped of his immunity as lawmaker.

Tsatsarov spoke with reporters after filing a request for the removal of Tsvetanov’s immunity early on Thursday.

“The probe confirmed at a very early stage that the lack of any control whatsoever over the mobile teams for informal spying and eavesdropping was a prerequisite for unregulated actions,” Tsatsatov said.

Tsvetanov, who is a key official of the center-right GERB party, faces charges of failing to exercise proper control over the use of special surveillance devices during his term in office.

The former Interior Minister may face up to 8 years in jail if proven guilty.

The “Bulgarian Watergate” scandal unfurled at the end of March when Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), submitted a tipoff to Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov about alleged illegal wiretapping of politicians, businesspeople and magistrates which had taken place during the rule of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's center-right GERB party (2009-2013).

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