The politicians of the opposition who were wiretapped are not 32, as the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" Atanas Atanassov claims, but 82, told Nova TV lawyer Nikolay Hadzhigenov from "Stand Up! Mafiosi Out!"

According to him, approximately one-third, or about 20 of the people who were wiretapped, are from BSP. "It is likely that the specialized court signed them [the permits]," Hadzhigenov said Thursday, May 27. On Tuesday, the specialized court announced that it had not given permission to tap the phones of political figures, including cartaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev.

According to Hadzhigenov, special services listened in on politicians‘ lines in the period around the antigovernment protests this summer and then during the election campaign. He pledged that a special committee would be formed in the next parliament to unravel the cases.

"There is no way of knowing something that does not exist at all. Tomorrow another hero will pop up and say there 150 wiretapped politicians," Toma Bykov of GERB commented Hadjigenov’s words.

Before Sega daily Hadzhigenov explained that there is evidence for these 82 wiretapped, but at the moment he cannot share any more details. He added that he expected the number to be higher, but it appears the services were focusing on key opposition figures.

The lawyer also explained that in practice there is no control over the greenlight for the use of the special intelligence means, which the court gives. And there are no names in the request for allowing surveillance, only phone numbers, i.e. the judges have no idea whose wiretapping they approve of. He also gave an example of how someone can be "hooked", e.g. if they are deliberately called by someone who is wiretapped, or if their number is filed through a case which they have nothing to do with.

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