From the Financial Times

By Theodor Troev in Sofia and Kerin Hope in Athens
April 15 2008 03:00

The sacking of Rumen Petkov, Bulgaria's interior minister, following two gangland-style shootings in Sofia, the capital, has highlighted the Socialist-led government's failure to crack down on links between senior officials and organised crime groups.

Mr Petkov stepped down on Sunday evening, two days after the governing coalition survived a parliamentary vote of confidence over accusations of colluding with organised criminals.

He said his resignation "was not a sign of weakness . . . but a sign of a desire for deep reform of Bulgarian law enforcement agencies".

Analysts said Sergey Stanishev, the prime minister, had faced pressure from other European leaders to fire Mr Petkov, who admitted he had personal contacts with suspected members of criminal groups.

The interior ministry came under scrutiny last month after the national security agency, an independent body established to combat corruption in the run-up to Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, discovered senior officials had leaked information to suspected criminals under investigation.

An author who covered Bulgaria's criminal underworld and an executive of an energy group linked with Russian investors were shot in separate attacks in Sofia last week.

The shootings prompted harsh criticism from Brussels over Bulgaria's failure to implement judicial reforms since its accession in January 2007. More than 100 high-profile killings since 2001 have not yet been resolved.

Bulgaria, the poorest member of the Union, could lose more than €400m ($630m, £320m) of funding if it fails to cut high-level corruption and organised crime.

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