site.btaCabinet Closes Svilengrad Customs Office, Creates Information Security Unit

Cabinet Closes Svilengrad Customs Office,Creates Information Security Unit

Sofia, December 30 (BTA) - The Council of Ministers officially closed the Svilengrad Customs Office and created an information security unit with the Central Customs Directorate by amending the Customs Agency's rules of organization, the Government information service reported on Wednesday.

The closure of the Svilengrad Customs Office aims to prevent corrupt practices and improve the work by optimizing human, financial and material resources and direct them towards a more effective execution of the customs administration's control functions, the press release said.

Talks about closing the Svilengrad Customs Office started after more than 30 customs officers were arrested at the Kapitan Andreevo Bulgarian-Turkish border checkpoint on suspicions of corruption in an anti-graft operation conducted in the beginning of December. Law enforcers carried out over 100 searches of homes, vehicles, business offices and suspects, and confiscated some 100,000 leva in total. 

Speaking to journalists after the Cabinet's meeting, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said that his Ministry's and the Customs Agency's work is not to create jobs but to collect revenues. Other ministries are responsible for employment programmes, he added. Asked to comment the customs officers' plans to protest the closure of the Svilengrad Customs Office, Goranov said that everyone has the right to voice their position within the law.

Goranov told journalists back in mid-December that although the raid at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint provided sufficient grounds for the closure of the Svilengrad Customs Office, the closure had been planned to be carried out anyway as part of restructuring intended to improve management. He explained that the customs office's closure had been planned for next January, however, the operation served as a good reason to bring it forward.

Starting January 1, Svilengrad residents will begin collecting signatures for a petition against the Government's decision to close the local customs office, said Zhivko Zhelev, who is a local independent Municipal Councillor. According to him, protests and road blocks near the checkpoint are expected. Zhelev said that he met on Wednesday with representatives of freight companies, who have assured him that they will support the protests. He also said that some 50 customs officers are expected to be dismissed. The local municipal councillors adopted a declaration during their last meeting, disagreeing with the closure of the local customs office.

Twelve customs officers from Svilengrad (southeastern Bulgaria) remain in custody, the prosecuting magistracy said on Wednesday, quoting a decision of the Specialized Court. All of them, along with several other officers, are charged with being part of a criminal group from March until the present.

According to the Appellate Specialized Court, not only can a reasoned assumption be made based on the evidence that the suspects have committed the crime, but there is a risk that they could commit other crimes as well. 

The newly created information security unit will exercise control over whether the customs administration's information security systems, will organize and implement policies for the Customs Agency's information security, with the purpose of protecting information processing, storage and distribution. The administrative unit will also be responsible for the Agency's protection of copyright and tangible assets in the field of information and communication technologies. Among its functions are to develop and offer innovative solutions and architectures for improving the Agency's information security.

The amendments the Customs Agency's rules of organization broaden the functions of the Customs Intelligence and Investigations Directorate under the Central Customs Directorate. The creation of a 24-7 centre for analyzing scanned X-ray images received during customs control is also planned. The centre will summarize the results and coordinate and control the image analyses. The changes to the rules of organization update and refine the functions of the Customs Agency's directorates responsible for finance and public procurements, customs regimes and procedures, customs investigation and intelligence, property management and logistics.

The structural changes at the Customs Agency are made without changes to the number of employees.