Sat, Jul 04 2009
Interior Minister Roumen Petkov presented to Cabinet members the report on meeting EU requirements in the sphere of justice and home affairs.
The Interior and Justice ministries worked on the report to be submitted to the European Commission. It addresses issues listed as problematic in the final EC monitoring report before Bulgaria's EU accession.
Petkov said that he hoped the EC will give adequate evaluation of the progress made.
Over the past six months, prosecution launched investigation on 599 corruption cases. Nearly 300 people have been sentenced on charges of corruption.
Interior Ministry carried out 988 corruption inspections. Among the institutions inspected are five ministries, 47 administrations and 93 municipal offices.
Bulgaria's plan for combating organised crime was being carried out successfully, Petkov said. The number of crimes steadily decreased. In 2004, 223 public murders were committed and their number went down to 172 in 2006.
Customs officers seized more than 2400 kg of narcotic substances and 565 people were sentenced on charges of trafficking, Petkov said.
Ataka and Order Law and Justice parties stage symbolic blockades at Bulgaria’s borders with Turkey on eve of July 5 2009 parliamentary election, while reports record influx of would-be voters and, it is claimed, flights are being chartered from Turkey.
In a blow against a problem that has been plaguing Bulgaria’s elections, State Agency for National Security and Interior Ministry say several people in a ‘major criminal organisation’ have been arrested for vote-buying, on the eve of the July 5 vote.
Barometer Info survey on July 3 2009, just ahead of the eve of Bulgaria’s national parliamentary elections, gives GERB 27.05 per cent and Sergei Stanishev’s Coalition for Bulgaria 19.09 per cent.
The exact number of people sacked from duty out of the 600 who refused to go to work on Monday is undisclosed, although reports claim that as of June 3 at least four people were told they were surplus to requirements.
Open your mind and face the unknown: the 2009 general elections in Bulgaria.