The Haskovo District Court has opened a case against the former director of the Territorial Directorate of "Plovdiv Customs", accused of abuse of office in connection with the inspection of a cargo truck at the "Kapitan Andreevo" border checkpoint, reported BTA correspondent in Haskovo Krasimira Slavova.
The proceedings were initiated based on an indictment filed by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office in June.
According to the state prosecution, in April 2025, the high-ranking customs official ordered a truck carrying a large quantity of cigarettes under transit regime to be escorted to a customs checkpoint in Vidin, from where it could leave the country. The prosecution claims that the order was given outside the powers of the accused and concerned a case that did not fall within the scope of his competence.
This concerns a load of 1,400 master boxes of cigarettes transported from Georgia to the Netherlands. The vehicle was selected for inspection after a signal from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) for a potentially risky shipment. The control was to be carried out jointly by the customs authorities and the “Border Police“.
According to the prosecution, the actions could have led to the avoidance of excise duty in the amount of nearly 3 million leva and, accordingly, to significant damage to the state budget.
If the guilt is proven in court, the law provides for a penalty of one to eight years of imprisonment. It is also possible to be banned from holding a state or public office. The court is about to schedule a hearing to decide on the case.