Bulgaria's so-called Files Commission has probed 120 000 individuals for being agents and collaborators of the former Communist State Security, DS.

The data was reported Sunday for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, by the Commission's Chairman, Evtim Kostadinov.

Recently, 64 000 people have been probed in connection with the local and presidential elections in October, 2011, and another 42 000 over the fact they hold public office.

Kostadinov says that out of the 120 000, 6 387 had ties with DS, but 5 782 were exposed because under article 1 of the Act for Access and Publication of Documents and Reporting of Association of Bulgarian Citizens with DS and Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian Army, some names are not subject to publication.

"The difference comes from the fact we obey the law strictly," Kostadinov stressed, adding that the Commission will give an official account of their 5-year-long activity at a conference Tuesday.

"We will present summary of all data we have collected and will underline the obstacles the law created for us – the latter must be most open to the public. We will propose amendments; then it would be up to the legislature to decide," said he.

The Files Commission is a panel in charge of investigating the Communist era secret files.

The blacklist of former state security agents and collaborators already features, now-ex President and former Socialist leader, Georgi Parvanov, former constitutional judges, supreme magistrates, investigators, members of parliament, prominent and well-known former and current Bulgarian journalists, as well as ambassadors and diplomats abroad.

Recent revelations that eleven out of a total of fifteen Bulgarian Metropolitan bishops were former DS agents stirred huge outrage in Bulgaria.

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