Bulgaria: Caretaker Interior Minister Admits That Politicians Were Wiretapped, PM Stefan Yanev Including

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov confirmed late on Thursday to BTA the information that politicians had been wiretapped by two services – State Agency Technical Operations (DATO) and DANS. According to Rashkov, materials are currently being destroyed at the State Agency for National Security (DANS). Among those wiretapped around the elections on April 4 was caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev, the interior minister told bTV.

The scandal erupted earlier on Thursday after the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" Atanas Atanasov announced that 32 people from "There is Such a People", "Democratic Bulgaria" and "Stand up! MafiosiOut!" were wiretapped after New Year's holidays, including during the election campaign. Twelve of them were tapped by the Interior Ministry's Internal Security Service, 12 by the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the remaining 8 by the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime(GDBOP), Atanasov said.

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday that it had started an ex-officio procedure prompted by the publications and commissioned a probe to the National Bureau for Control of Special Intelligence Means (SIM). It will have to verify whether the Directorate "Internal Security" at the Ministry of Interior, the GDBOP and the state Agency for National Security (DANS) have committed violations in the implementation of the SIM

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