32 customs officers detained with a bribe of BGN 14,000 at Kapitan Andreevo border check-point

The Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against eight of the 32 employees of the Customs Agency, detained this night. During the police raid at the Kapitan Andreevo border check-point, the customs officers were caught while sharing the money received as bribes.

The operation was conducted by the Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and the Internal Security department of the Interior Ministry under the direct supervision of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

“The amount of BGN 14,000 in various currencies - Euros, US dollars and Turkish Liras were found in a Chief Customs Inspector and a Customs Exepert,” Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said for Focus agency. The two pleaded innocence, saying they found the money in a WC at the border.

Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov said that the investigation of corruption at the border with Turkey has started in 2011 and long before the police raid, the suspects had been kept under observation with special investigative means. Five of the arrested customs officers will be charged with participation in an organised criminal group and three – with taking bribes. “Employees of the Customs Agency have taken bribes from both Bulgarians and foreigners,” said Kokinov. “Sometimes, it was a matter of smuggling and sometimes – of racketeering,” explained Kokinov. The amount of bribes varies from BGN 5 to BGN 500. The money was kept in different currencies

With an order of Prosecutor General Boris Velchev, the case wassent to the Sofia City Prosecutor instead of the Haskovo District Office which is responsible for Kapitan Andreevo.

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