Bulgaria's Ex-Interior Min Officially Charged over Illegal Snooping

Former Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov (R) and his lawyer, Menko Menkov (L). Photo by BGNES

Charges have been officially pressed against former Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in connection with a wiretapping scandal that has shaken the country over the past months.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office has charged Tsvetanov with failing to exercise proper control over Interior Ministry officials, thereby enabling the unauthorized deployment of special surveillance equipment against high-profile politicians, magistrates and businesspeople.

Tsvetanov’s lawyer, Menko Menkov, claimed Wednesday that the pressed charges “had nothing to do with illegal wiretapping.”

The former Interior Minister may face 8 years behind bars if proven guilty.
He was questioned Wednesday by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office in relation to the high-profile wiretapping allegations.

The wiretapping scandal unfurled at the end of March when Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), submitted a tip-off to Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov about alleged illegal wiretapping of politicians, businesspeople and magistrates which had taken place during Tsvetanov’s term in office.

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