Bulgarian prosecutors have laid criminal charges against only six of the 25 Varna customs officers and other individuals arrested for alleged corruption, it emerged on January 14.

The Special Criminal Court will rule on January 15 on whether five should be remanded in continuous custody pending trial. Prosecutors alleged that five customs chiefs from the Varna West office in Bulgaria’s largest Black Sea city, as well as a forwarder, acted as an organised crime group involved in corruption.

In the bust, carried out on the night of January 12 and on January 13, a sum equivalent to 711 000 leva in cash was found. The bribes allegedly were paid so that shipping companies would avoid delays in processing of cargoes. The head of the station and the heads of shifts gathered once a month at the home of one of the group now facing criminal charges, for a meeting to discuss records of the workings of the scheme.

Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry chief secretary Georgi Kostov said that the operation was “further proof” of the achievements in the interaction between the Chief Director for Combating Organised Crime and the office of the Special Public Prosecutor.

The Sofia Globe

14 January 2017

Disclaimer: All views, opinions and accounts included in the RAI News Section are those of the authors; their inclusion does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by RAI. The News Section reflects the selection of topics of informative value to the organization and its stakeholders. Its content is taken from press/media sources and does not in any way reflect official RAI Secretariat policy. RAI Secretariat is not responsible for possible inaccuracies in media reports.