Bruce Berton, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Sofia, has claimed that Bulgaria is plagued by crisis-level corruption which takes its toll on all citizens.

Berton spoke to representatives of Bulgaria’s judiciary on the occasion of the International Anticorruption Day, which is observed annually on December 9.

“Corruption is a worldwide problem, including in the US, as you can tell by many headlines in the press. Unfortunately, I am afraid that corruption in Bulgaria has reached a critical level which has a negative impact on the life of each and every citizen,” he declared, as cited by the BGNES news agency and the press office of the US Embassy in Sofia.

“It takes political will and professional capacity to implement all of the anti-corruption initiatives and reforms,” he noted.

“Over the past 20 years, the US government has provided financing of USD 64 M for programs aimed at strengthening the rule of law in Bulgaria, including training programs for Bulgarian magistrates,” he said.

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