Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg becomes accomplice in the crime if he does not dismiss Interior Minister Petkanov over the wire-tap scandal in surveillance operation codenamed "Gnome, Nikolay Mladenov, spokesman of right-wing opposition Union of Democratic Forces said. He underlined that the Union of Democratic Forces is considering tabling a no-confidence motion.

Several days earlier right-wing United Democratic Forces (UDF) demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Petkanov, accusing him of ordering illegal police wire-tapping of politicians, magistrates and journalists.

UDF urged that the Prime Minister and the President are held responsible for the scandal.

A day earlier the parliamentary sub-commission on the Gnome case presented its special report. According to the report Interior Minister Petkanov has breached the Penal Code, the Classified Information Act and the Act for Special Surveillance Means in wire-tapping former National Security Service Chief Atanas Atanassov, policeman Zhivko Georgiev and syndicate member Plamen Simov.

There are some lapses but it was the court that issued permits for wire-tapping, Vladimir Donchev, chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Interior Security, said.

All materials have been destroyed under a resolution, issued by the Interior Minister, which sets a precedent, Yordan Bakalov, member of the sub-commission, claims.

At the end of December last year Supreme Court Chair Ivan Grigorov accused Minister Petkanov of a crime linked to the wire-tap scandal and called for his resignation.

Minister Petkanov admitted to the existence of the "Gnome" operation after a series of allegations against special services for wiretapping politicians and prominent journalists. The scandal broke after a right-winger accused special services of illegally wiretapping lawmakers, magistrates and prominent journalists.

Interior Minister Petkanov dismissed the accusations as "a lie".