Nearly €90,000 Seized in Plovdiv in Suspected Vote-Buying Scheme

Backpacks containing nearly €90,000 intended for vote buying have been seized in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv, the acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Georgi Kandev, said in a Facebook post on April 9.

He said that a tip-off was received on Wednesday that two individuals were withdrawing large sums of money from a bank branch with the aim of influencing the upcoming elections.

“The men were tracked and detained in the car park of a large retail chain. The money had been withdrawn in cash and stuffed into backpacks. Both individuals have multiple criminal records and convictions, including for money laundering,” Kandev wrote.

A search uncovered a total of €88,720. Both men have been detained.

“This is not an isolated case. There is information suggesting these individuals are linked to a large-scale criminal scheme involving a wider network of people,” Kandev added.