Bulgaria Interior Minister Hits Back over President Mafia Remark

Bulgaria Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has hit back at President Georgi Parvanov for suggesting that the new GERB government is targeting former PM Sergey Stanishev instead of mafia bosses.

Tsvetanov, speaking after he submitted an integrated strategy to combat corruption and organized crime to Parliament, criticized Parvanov for not giving a view on people like Lyudmil Stoykov and Mario Nikolov, who are both accused of draining EU SAPARD funds.

“Was it the mafia who benefited from the financial resources of the European taxpayer?” Tsvetanov asked sarcastically. He continued, “the dividing line between corruption and organized crime is very small.”

Tsvetanov concluded that the new center-right GERB government has the will and resources to counter and actively fight against corruption and organized crime.

On Sunday Parvanov harshly criticized the government for its failure to impose measures to combat crime, saying the mafia bosses in the country remain untouchable.

Talking at a round table with students, Parvanov described as “fast” and “radical” the moves that the government took in connection with the missing classified reports on crime that led prosecutors to probe former Socialist Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev.

“Why doesn't the government act as swiftly in combating the bosses of the organized crime, who have turned into one of the symbols of the Bulgarian transition?”, Parvanov said.