Prosecution Charged 8 of the Detained Customs Officers at Kulata Checkpoint

Bulgaria’s Specialized Prosecutor's Office pressed charges against 8 customs officers from Kulata border crossing for alleged involvement in a crime group for receiving bribes, the press office of the Appellate specialized prosecutor’s office said on 15th of June in relation to the case in which a total of 23 customms officers were detained in a joint operation by the Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime, State Agency for National Security and the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office on 14^th of June.

By statutes of a prosecutor from the SPO, each of them has been detained for up to 72 hours. On 16th of June, the Specialized Criminal Court will be requested to impose an order for detention in custody.

At a briefing on the case on 14^th of June, it was reported that a total equivalent of BGN 63,000 in various currencies were seized during searches in homes and cars of the detainees. In the course of the investigation, the authorities found additional 40,000 Euro and 15,000 BGN, which are reported to have been acquired in a criminal way.