MORE THAN 20 BULGARIAN CUSTOMS OFFICERS DETAINED IN VARNA

More than 20 customs officers from Varna-West check point were arrested during an operation of the Chief Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime (CDCOC) conducted in the evening on 12th of January. The operation was initiated following a signal for a bribe-taking and payment of duty on tariffs different from the ones required by the law.

Searches were carried out in the ofices of the customs check point and the homes of the arrested customs officers. The operation was conducted immediately after the alleged bribe was received and allocated between the officers. 711,000 BGN were found during the searches, the spokesperson of the chief prosecutor, Roumyana Arnaudova, said.

The CDCOC officials received the information about the alleged bribe-taking through special surveillance devices.

The operation started last night and went on 13th of January. It was carried out under the supervision of the specialized prosecutor’s office. It became clear that the operation was on-going when armed police officers initiated checks of all vehicles the exits and entries of the city of Varna in the evening on 12th of January.

Two prosecutors and a judge from the specialized prosecutor’s office are in Varna and are already interviewing the detained customs officers and witnesses.