Border policemen from the border crossing point – The towers have been temporarily suspended in connection with a disciplinary investigation launched after videos were leaked to the media of them sharing money.
The clips were distributed on May 10 and 14 this year through various media channels. The footage shows officers in uniforms of the “Border Police”. They are said to be dividing sums received from bribes. The video is said to have been filmed secretly at the border crossing – The Tower at 7 a.m. on April 25, 2023 and was sent by an anonymous source along with other videos with similar content.
This was revealed by struma.bg.
Directorate “Internal Security“ has carried out an inspection on the case,
and at the end of September 2023, the materials were sent to the prosecutor's office. After the leaked clips, a reporter for “Struma” looked for the director of RDGP – Smolyan Ivaylo Stoyanov, who was succinct that there is a disciplinary investigation in the case. As part of the disciplinary proceedings initiated by the order of the director of the General Directorate of Police Anton Zlatanov on May 17, several border police officers from the General Police Department were temporarily suspended – Petrich and ordered confiscation of service card, personal badge and service weapon.
Among them is the commander of the GCP department – The tower Jr. expert Georgi N., who contested the order before the Administrative Court – Blagoevgrad. It was canceled by a decision of Judge Georgi Ivanov on June 30, which was published.
In the complaint it is stated that it is Jr. the expert Georgi N. from the GCP – Kulata, together with a third person, reported an attempted extortion a month and a half before his temporary suspension from work, which attempt was based on the same circumstances that gave rise to the disciplinary proceedings against him.
It is also noted that although an investigation into the same circumstances has been conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs “for more than a year”, N.'s official position was neither a reason for his removal from office nor for the initiation of criminal proceedings .
When issuing the order, the long-term experience of N. in the State Police, that he was not punished or disciplinary investigated, was not taken into account,
and that he enjoys an impeccable reputation as an employee. With the order thus issued, he was placed in a situation where his fundamental rights, guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many others, are limited.
From the collected evidence in the case, it is clear that the disciplinary proceedings against the border policeman are for a violation of the code of ethics for the conduct of civil servants in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the factual side, the investigation concerns previously established data, according to which Georgi N., together with other employees, distributed financial funds of unclear origin, which can be assumed to be unaccounted for and which are above the maximum permissible financial funds carried by an employee. and are not declared.
When evaluating the evidence, Judge Georgi Ivanov considers that the order of the director of the DG “Border Police” is unmotivated. Beginnings of “motif“ is contained in the opinion expressed by the legal counsel of the General Prosecutor's Office in a court session on 17.07.2024, in which he states that the purpose of the measure is for Georgi N. not to influence “colleagues“ before collecting information from them.
However, the order does not specify the period for removal,
and the law does not allow indefinite suspension, setting maximum limits. According to the Law on the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in case of disciplinary proceedings, the temporary suspension can be up to 3 months at the most. With these reasons, Judge Ivanov canceled the order issued against Georgi N. as illegal and ordered the State Police to pay him BGN 910, which he had paid to his lawyer.
The decision is not final, as it is subject to appeal before YOU. An identical case was also considered on the appeal for the removal of senior border policeman Hristo V. from the border crossing – The tower, only the solution is reversed. Judge Dimitar Dubmanov, who heard the case, considers that the order for his removal on May 17 is lawful and rejects the appeal. The decision is subject to appeal to YOU.