site.btaEuropean Prosecutor Georgieva: Witnesses Got Dismissed from State Jobs for Cooperating with Investigation

European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva, Bulgaria's representative at the European Public Prosecutor's Office, said here on Tuesday that there are several cases of witnesses who were dismissed from state services for cooperating with the investigation. Georgieva spoke at a forum organized by the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives Foundation and dedicated to the judiciary in Bulgaria.

The prosecutor pointed to a specific case of an indictment and an investigation that was completed successfully not thanks to but in spite of the efforts of the Ministry of Interior officials, who refused to comply with a court order to search an address. Georgieva added that the police had conducted a self-check and found that no offence had been committed.

Georgieva noted that in Bulgaria customs fraud, the submission of false data on the origin of goods, their quantity and quality, is considered not a crime, but is regulated as an administrative offence. In her words, this offence leads to damage to the fiscus and to distortion of the free market. She recalled that Bulgaria is an external border of the EU. In her words, fixing this problem requires legislative changes.

The prosecutor also stressed that the European directive on fraud affecting the financial interests of the EU has not been fully implemented, when it comes to the criminal liability of legal persons. She said that the requirements set can be met by introducing specific administrative and punitive measures.

Georgieva reported that the same companies keep popping up in investigations, as they have been found to be involved in all public procurement above a certain value, even though they lack the professional capacity and the relevant experience and abilities.