National network of prosecutors and investigators working on crimes related to intellectual property and cybercrime was established at the National Investigation Service.
The establishment of National Network was attended by Acting Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova, Borislav Sarafov - Director of the NIS, experts from the US Department of Justice and the US Embassies in Sofia and Bucharest, lecturers and experts in intellectual property and cybercrime, as well as representatives of state institutions and organizations.
The purpose of establishing the network is to increase the competence and expert potential of prosecutors and investigators in the field of investigating crimes in cyberspace and is in response to public expectations for their faster and more effective investigation.
Acting Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova welcomed the participants in the establishment of the National Network. She expressed confidence that the network will achieve good results, especially since the model has already been tested in combating human trafficking and terrorist financing. Specialization, qualification and teamwork are key to achieving good results, Vanya Stefanova added.
"Cybercrime is increasing by about 300% on an annual basis. This requires higher specialization and sustainable structures that can control this increasing flow of crimes.", said Borislav Sarafov. He pointed out that the idea for creating the National Network came from Prosecutor Raya Boncheva from the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office, who is the national contact person for the Prosecutor's Office on issues of intellectual property protection and computer crimes, and from Svetoslav Vassilev, Head of the Cybercrime Department at the National Investigation Service.
Kristi O’Malley, International Computer hacking and Intellectual Property Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of Justice, presented the organization and structure of a similar network in the United States and indicated how it could support the national network established in Bulgaria. Matt Lamberti, Senior Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, emphasized the excellent work of the National Investigation Service and the Prosecutor’s Office in the cases of investigating the torrent trackers Arena and Zamunda.
The National Network is planned to involve prosecutors from all levels - from regional, district and appellate Prosecutor's Offices, as well as the Supreme Prosecutor's Office, investigators from the Cybercrime Department of the National Investigation Service, and from the investigative departments of the district prosecutor's offices. "The goal is for them to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to complete investigations into this type of crime more quickly," said Svetoslav Vasilev. He thanked the US Department of Justice for its assistance, which the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office works closely together with on a number of cases related to cybercrime. "After the closure of the large pirate sites, there are also smaller ones, as well as streaming platforms broadcasting pirated content - films and music" noted the Head of the Cybercrime Department of the NIS.