[size=75:32cif8b5]novinite 7 April 2010

5 Bulgaria Policemen Sacked over Criminal Charges

Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry has fired 4 policemen from the country’s two major Black Sea cites – 3 from Varna and 1 from Burgas.

A 5th policeman has been fired in the central town of Pavlikeni.

The news was reported Wednesday by the Interior Ministry press center. Pre-trial proceedings have begun against all 5.

The Regional Police Directorate in the city of Varna received at the end of January a signal from citizens that 3 traffic policemen have been involved in corruption practices. After a prosecutor’s probe all 3 have been charged and released on bail.

At the end of March, another probe established that a policeman from the Burgas Precinct had been part of a scheme involving auto-theft scheme and the return of the cars to their owners against a ransom. The Burgas police officer is also charged and released on bail.

At the very end of March, a search of the house of the Pavlikeni policeman found illegal weapons and ammunitions. The police had also a search warrant for the house of the brother of the Pavlikeni police officer. They found inside two hand-made rifles and a large amount of illegal drugs.