Bulgaria's domestic security and counter-intelligence agency DANS has said does not have data about activities that might amount to funding of terrorism in the country.

The statement by DANS comes shortly after the agency published the 2015 activity report of its financial intelligence department, sections of which suggest there are suspicions of such activities being carried out in Bulgaria.

There is only doubt based on the department's judgment as the latter has registered an increased volume of information of likely affiliation of Bulgarian natural persons to the activities of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, DANS underlines.  

The report in question argues that, considering the international geopolitical environment, the risk that funds aimed at sponsoring terrorism might make their way through the Bulgarian financial system is becoming bigger and bigger.

Its Bulgarian-language version (the English one is yet to be uploaded) says that, "regarding suspicions arising with regard to many transfers received/ordered through the money transferring system (mostly Western Union) reports start to emerge of operations conducted by people who are probably connected to funding of terrorism (of the activity of so-called Islamic State)."

"Such cases are handled as a priority, with the information being channeled to the relevant departments at DANS."

"Considering the situation in the Middle East (mostly in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Libya), funds are entering the country through the money transfer system that could be used both for funding of terrorism and for settlements under hawala-type schemes." (The latter are informal money transfers going around banking systems and avoiding fees.)

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