United States ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick has spoken highly of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, and his work on curtailing organised crime and corruption, Bulgarian media reported on November 17 2010.
"Mr Tsvetanov took firm action against organised crime and corruption which we haven't seen here for the last 20 years," Warlick said.
"I have no doubt in my mind that the streets of Bulgaria today are a lot safer that they used to be, because of Tsvetanov and his team," Warlick added.
Warlick was inspecting the headquarters of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. His visit came at a time when Tsvetanov is embroiled in a scandal with former prosecutor general Nikola Filchev, whom he accused of being possibly involved in the murder of two people.
Tsvetanov commented on a television talk show that Filchev was possibly involved in the murder of prosecutor Nikolai Kolev and Yambol lawyer Nadezhda Georgieva, Bulgarian media reported on November 17 2010.
"What I said was that one of the possibilities of Kolev's murder, could be associated with Filchev, based on what we were told by his relatives, and his widow in particular," Tsvetanov said.
The first allegations that Filchev may be involved in the murder of Kolev date back to 2002, when current Prime Minister Boiko Borissov was general secretary of the Interior Ministry, while Tsvetanov was his right-hand man.
But when asked why, they did not act against Filchev at the time, Tsvetanov said that "a policy is only possible if there is political will supporting it".
"What we are doing today is possible with the political support of the parliamentary group of the ruling party. Without the political will of the Cabinet and Prime Minister, we would not be as effective in solving all those crimes that happened in the past," Tsvetanov told the private Bulgarian television channel bTV.
In Bulgarian mass circulation daily Trud, Filchev said that anything is possible following the Interior Minister's accusations.
"Anything can happen, even orders for my arrest. Bearing in mind the Balkan mentality and the nervousness of the Interior Minister I would not be surprised," he said.
"If the evidence is sufficient, let them handcuff me and take me to court," he added.
"Mr Tsvetanov took firm action against organised crime and corruption which we haven't seen here for the last 20 years," Warlick said.
"I have no doubt in my mind that the streets of Bulgaria today are a lot safer that they used to be, because of Tsvetanov and his team," Warlick added.
Warlick was inspecting the headquarters of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. His visit came at a time when Tsvetanov is embroiled in a scandal with former prosecutor general Nikola Filchev, whom he accused of being possibly involved in the murder of two people.
Tsvetanov commented on a television talk show that Filchev was possibly involved in the murder of prosecutor Nikolai Kolev and Yambol lawyer Nadezhda Georgieva, Bulgarian media reported on November 17 2010.
"What I said was that one of the possibilities of Kolev's murder, could be associated with Filchev, based on what we were told by his relatives, and his widow in particular," Tsvetanov said.
The first allegations that Filchev may be involved in the murder of Kolev date back to 2002, when current Prime Minister Boiko Borissov was general secretary of the Interior Ministry, while Tsvetanov was his right-hand man.
But when asked why, they did not act against Filchev at the time, Tsvetanov said that "a policy is only possible if there is political will supporting it".
"What we are doing today is possible with the political support of the parliamentary group of the ruling party. Without the political will of the Cabinet and Prime Minister, we would not be as effective in solving all those crimes that happened in the past," Tsvetanov told the private Bulgarian television channel bTV.
In Bulgarian mass circulation daily Trud, Filchev said that anything is possible following the Interior Minister's accusations.
"Anything can happen, even orders for my arrest. Bearing in mind the Balkan mentality and the nervousness of the Interior Minister I would not be surprised," he said.
"If the evidence is sufficient, let them handcuff me and take me to court," he added.
(SofiaEcho)
No comments:
Post a Comment