Atanas Atanasov, Chair of the internal security and public order parliamentary committee, claimed that the authorities were engaged in large-scale wiretapping during the anti-government protests in 2014.

In a Thursday interview for the morning broadcast of bTV, he suggested that the large-scale operation had lasted some 300 days and had included the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security (DANS), and the "State Agency Technical Operations."

Atanasov claimed that this had been a case of patent misuse of power and the perpetrators had to be held accountable for it.

He voiced criticism of Svetlozar Lazarov, Chief Secretary of the Interior, and insisted that he and the other leaders of the special operation against the shooter in Lyaskovets had shown incompetence and gross negligence.

During a special operation to disarm a psychologically unstable man in the town of Lyaskovets on March 14, a police officer was shot dead and 3 of his colleagues were injured. The case gave rise to accusations of poor organization of the operation.

Atanasov claimed Thursday that Lazarov had refused to meet with the committee established over the case during the second disciplinary probe ordered by caretaker Interior Minister Yordan Bakalov, adding that this had been a case of insubordination which called for disciplinary action.

Lazarov, in turn, responded by saying that he would not bow to attacks and resign, yet he would not hesitate to step down instantly, provided that he was found guilty of some violation.

He argued that he was unaware of large-scale wiretapping operations during the anti-governmental protests, stressing that such a move was inadmissible.

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