National Investigative Service (NIS) head Angel Alexandrov told journalists on May 2 that he had been threatened by Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov.

Alexandrov, as quoted by Focus news agency, said Ovcharov had wanted him to commit acts that amounted to breaking the law.

Alexandrov was asked by Ovcharov to find documents incriminating Hristo Lachev, executive director of the state-owned tobacco giant Bulgartabac, to get him fired from his post.

Earlier in the day Lachev told a news conference that Alexandrov had asked money from him.

Alexandrov's and Lachev's words came after more than a week of news conferences held by NSI employees, including Alexandrov, accusing each other of corruption. This time Ovcharov's name appeared. By the time The Sofia Echo went to press, there was no official reaction from Ovcharov.

On April 26, Deputy Economy Minister Kornelia Ninova told a news conference that she had been under pressure for months from Alexandrov to commit acts that amounted to breaking the law. Ninova said that she had not agreed and would not "yield to attempts at blackmail". She referred to "slush funds" with which she did not want to be involved.

Ninova was reacting to what happened a day earlier when Alexandrov told a news conference he had requested the suspension of investigator Tatyana Sharlandjieva from the NIS because of what he described as "major irregularities". Alexandrov said that Sharlandjieva had leaked information about the investigation of Valentin Dimitrov, former head of Sofia's heating utility Toplofikatsia to "parties interested in the case".

Alexandrov said that Sharlandjieva had established "unwarranted" and "lasting" contacts with Krassimir Georgiev, a witness in the Dimitrov case. Sharlandjieva was alleged to have "delayed the investigation of important circumstances" which resulted in "failure to take prompt and urgent investigative action" and prevented timely resolution of the case.

Indeed, the Dimtrov case has been going on for more than a year without any substantial progress, much to the discontent of the Bulgarian public.

In response, Sharlandjieva told a separate news conference that all her actions had been taken under pressure from Alexandrov, including some she said had been "unwarranted". At this point the name of Ninova appeared. Sharlandjieva said that on a number of occasions Alexandrov made her use her personal friendship with Ninova for "what seem to be not quite lawful purposes".

Sharlandjieva said that Alexandrov had made her ask Ninova to remove from the Economy and Energy Ministry documents incriminating Lachev.

Alexandrov also wanted Sharlandjieva to make Ninova use her influence with the State Gambling Commission to issue a licence to a company which had already been refused one, and to reverse her earlier decision and release certain goods from the state stockpiles.

Sharlandjieva's statements were backed by Zoya Ivanova, who was present at the news conference. Ivanova was head of the NIS Economic Crimes Department until April 24 when she was demoted to a ranking investigator. Ivanova said that she had been demoted at her own request, but under pressure from Alexandrov. Alexandrov had the support of Bozhidar Djambazov, the supervising prosecutor in the Dimitrov investigation. Djambazov called Alexandrov's actions "appropriate and timely". He said that there were suspicions about attempts to sidetrack the Dimitrov investigation. The evidence that Sharlandjieva had collected in the case was valid but could be overturned if she were found to have violated the procedures for investigations, he said. He was awaiting a ruling by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). The SJC has to review Alexandrov's request for the release of Sharlandjieva.

On April 27 Interior Minister Roumen Petkov told Bulgarian news agency BTA that he would not comment on the Ninova-Alexandrov conflict. Petkov said that he did not want to "create chaos".

In a separate development, Bulgarians were shocked by the murder of Yordanka Zapryanova (50) who was a witness in a money laundering case against Evelin "Brendo" Banev. On April 24, Zapryanova's body was found in her apartment in Sofia by relatives who called the police. She had been shot six times.

Zapryanova was the mother of Konstantin Dishliev, who was murdered two years ago. "Brendo" Banev was her son's former partner. Zapryanova was questioned twice in connection with the Brendo case.

On April 25 Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev called the Zapryanova murder "unprecedented". Zapryanova's murder showed that the investigators had gone really deep in the probe, Velchev said.

According to Sofia City prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov, the most obvious lead in Zapryanova's killing, and one which police were investigating, was her role as a witness against Banev. A third questioning of Zapryanova had been scheduled for the day on which she was murdered, and a fourth for April 15 when she was expected to unveil what Kokinov described as "interesting details".

Also on April 25, Zapryanova was due to be questioned in front of a judge. Kokinov told journalists that because his office had no information of a threat against her, Zapryanova had not been given protection.

A private bodyguard had accompanied Zapryanova to what became her final questioning, but she had not request official protection. Extra security measures had now been taken for other witnesses, Kokinov said.

On April 27 Financial Times wrote that France and the UK had demanded that the European Commission exercise stricter control over Bulgaria and Romania because the countries had serious corruption problems.