7 police officers, chief of regional police station, arrested in an anti-corruption operation in Plovdiv

The District Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv and the Interior Ministry's Internal Security on May 19 are conducting an operation against corrupt police officers at the 3rd Regional Police Department (RPD) in Plovdiv.

15 people were detained. 7 of them are police officers, including the head of the 3rd RPD, said District Prosecutor Rumen Popov.

The operation has been going on for half a year under the supervision of investigators and has nothing to do with the changes in the political situation and the new leadership of the Ministry of Interior, Popov confirmed.

The investigation is focused on corruption, drugs and prostitution, malfeasance and crimes against justice.

These are serious criminal offenses against justice and malfeasances, Popov said.

Searches, seizures and detentions continue. There are also several people who have been circulated as wanted by the state.

The caretaker Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov arrived on-site in Plovdiv and also gave a briefing on the topic.

Changes in the staff of the Ministry of Interior’s unit in Plovdiv will be discussed. Reshufflings should take place, caretaker Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov, said in a briefing to the media regarding the operation against the corrupt police officers in Plovdiv.

"I am here because there has to be a serious conversation with the heads of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior, because today’s operation is a blow against the service in Plovdiv and we have to make appropriate decisions in the coming days," Rashkov said.

"Reshufflings should take place. The chief of the 3rd police station was detained and this cannot remain without relevant changes in the staff. We will not tolerate wrong practices," the caretaker minister stressed. Changes in the staff will be discussed and, where necessary, managers or employees will be replaced. I will not tolerate MoI employees turning into criminals, Rashkov added.

As regards the operation, Rashkov said that the work of Internal Security directorate has been going on for many months. “As soon as I took office I received this information about the operation and they decided when to proceed with the relevant implementation," he added.

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