Never since it was formed on January 1 2008 has the State Agency for National Security (SANS) taken any steps whatsoever intended to collect personal information, manipulate or discredit Bulgarian journalists, SANS said in an October 2 2008 statement.

The statement was the agency's response to recent claim by members of Parliament that it had a number of journalists on a surveillance list in relation to an investigation into leaks of classified information to the media.

According to MPs' statements, SANS has started an investigation called "Gallery" which meant that several journalists had personal files including visuals, personal data and short profile.

The statements came after Parliament's committee on internal order and public security paid a visit to SANS headquarters on September 30 to see why the agency had checked the phone records of some of the committee's members.

To calm matters down, SANS head Petko Sertov asked for a meeting with Radosvet Radev, owner of broadcaster Darik Radio, and Tosho Toshev, editor-in-chief of Trud daily, on October 2. Sertov assured them that SANS has never probed journalists on purpose. To back his words, Sertov said he was ready to resign if he was not telling the truth, Bulgarian-language news website mediapool.bg said.

Sertov admitted that the "Gallery" investigation existed but the 50 journalists who have become part of it were not the subject of investigation. Their name simply appeared in the course of the investigation which is not against the law, mediapool.bg said.