Bulgaria's 'Tanovgate' Spying Scandal Expands

Politics » DOMESTIC | January 10, 2011, Monday // 12:45
Bulgaria's 'Tanovgate' Spying Scandal Expands: Bulgaria's 'Tanovgate' Spying Scandal Expands Bulgaria's Conservatives leader, Yane Yanev, launched a nation-wide campaign under the motto "Stop the Spying! You Can!" Photo by BGNES

The scandal, stemming from taped phone conversations of the Head of Bulgaria's Customs Agency, General Vanyo Tanov, expanded Monday to include two Members of the Parliament from the ruling GERB party.

The tapes were disclosed by the conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party.

The party's leader, Yane Yanev, warned that during their regular Friday press conference RZS would play for reporters the full recordings, unless until then, media and political parties, who already have the copies, would find the courage to publish them.

Below are excerpts from the conversations of Menda Stoyanova and Iskra Fidosova, MPs from the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party and parliamentary committees' chairs with Tanov.

Menda Stoyanova and Tanov

MS: Hello, where are you?

VT: Waiting for my driver to come and take me to the airport; I am going to Helsinki.

MS: Just 2 minutes

VT: OK, I am listening.

MS: I wanted to ask you if you met the person I recommended as Head of the Plovdiv Customs?

VT: Yes, I saw him, but he is not going to work. Only over my dead body. Three jails are bidding to take him inside. You are forcing me to hire a criminal.

MS: I guarantee for this person, regardless of what they say about him; he will do the job.

VT: I must be dead to hire him. To me he is a living criminal

MS: You must know I want this person very much. If needed, I will talk to the Prime Minister.

VT: Well, if you want to involve the PM, go then to his office. He keeps business cards on his desk; let him sign on one of them as a written order.

Iskra Fidosova and Vanyo Tanov

IF: Hi, is this a good time?

VT: Yes

IF: Is the deadline for the Lom Customs today?

VT: Yes

IF: Is everything OK there?

VT: No

IF: Why?

VT: Because he got 2.9 on the exam.

IF: How come he got 2.9?

VT: This is his average score.

IF: Common, this will become a f..... (expletive) scandal. Just to think we went around 20 municipalities.

In a Saturday TV Interview, PM, Boyko Borisov, mentioned for the first time Fidosova's name in connection with the scandal, but failed to elaborate. The news about her being taped did not break until Monday.

"Tanov had not hired a single person under pressure and regardless of all those who have called him, Fidosova or somebody else," Borisov said.

The latest news flared even more the scandal triggered by three tapes of discrediting conversations between Tanov and his superiors – Finance Minister Simeon Dajnkov and Deputy Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov –  which were released at a news conference last Wednesday by the Galeria weekly, a paper believed to be the mouthpiece of Aleksei Petrov, former special agent of the State National Security Agency DANS, (currently under house arrest), who has been investigated on organized crime charges since his arrest in the much advertised "Operation Octopus" in February 2010.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, RZS started their nation-wide campaign under the motto "Stop the Spying! You Can!"

The campaign was launched in the central city of Veliko Tarnovo because this is the electoral region of Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, since, according to the Conservatives, he is the one behind wide-spread spying in Bulgaria on MPs, ministers, magistrates, journalists, businessmen, and common people.

RZS would further demand from the Parliament to establish an inquiry committee to probe the illegal use of special surveillance devices.

Again on Monday, Bulgaria's political party "New Force" issued a declaration they support the presidential bid of Aleksei Petrov. RZS and Yanev are believed to be the latter's closest political allies.

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Tags: GERB, president, special agent, DANS, Aleksei Petrov, political ambitions, presidential bid, New Force, elections, RZS, Yane Yanev, cigarette contraband, smuggling, contraband, finance minister, Interior Minister, customs agents, interior ministry, Customs Agency, DANS, State National Security Agency, Aleksei Petrov, tapping, tapped, Vladislav Goranov, Simeon Djankov, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Vanyo Tanov, tabloid, Galeria, National Security Agency, Prosecutor's Office, conversations, phone, Boyko Borisov, Menda Stoyanova, Iskra Fidosova

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