May 20 (BTA) - Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov confirmed for BTA late on Thursday that politicians were being wiretapped by two security agencies - the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the State Agency Technical Operations (SATO). Rashkov further said that he has received information about materials being destroyed at SANS.

The Interior Minister's comments came in response to information circulated earlier on Thursday that politicians, including MP candidate list leaders, were being wiretapped around the time of the April 4 general elections. Democratic Bulgaria co-chairman and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader Atanas Atanassov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Bulgarian service that three units of the security services - the Interior Ministry internal security unit, the State Agency for National Security's (SANS) counterterrorism unit and the counterterrorism unit with the Chief Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (CDCOC), have wiretapped 32 senior politicians in Bulgaria.

Atanassov quoted a source who he described as trustworthy and the information as completely authentic, which is why he is making it public. He called on caretaker Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov to conduct a probe and shed light on this scandal, which Atanassov compared to "Watergate."

The Sofia City Prosecution Office (SCPO) said on Friday that, acting on its own initiative, it has assigned the national bureau in charge of overseeing the use of special surveillance means to conduct probes at the Interior Ministry's internal security unit, CDCOC and SANS, and establish whether violations were committed in the use of special surveillance means. The probes are in response to the media publications about alleged wiretapping of senior politicians. The SPCO said the public will be informed about the probe's findings.


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Rashkov told BTA late on Thursday that the prosecuting magistracy has opened a case on him following media publications, alleging that he and a SATO deputy chief are preparing a wiretapping scandal targeting the Prosecutor General.

The Prosecutor General's Spokesperson, Siyka Mileva, told BTA later that evening that the prosecuting magistracy has not initiated any pretrial proceedings against the caretaker Interior Minister. According to Mileva, it would be in the interest of the rule of law if officials refrained from making false allegations and spreading fake news. RI/MY
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