The National Interdepartmental Unit, established for the purpose of quick and adequate response against crimes related to the election process, reports as of March 31, 2021 a total of 144 signals for violations of the election process. Based on submitted signals, the competent Prosecutor's Offices have assigned inspections for a total of 163 cases. A total of 14 pre-trial proceedings have been instituted so far for crimes against the political rights of citizens. A total of 34 persons have been detained under the Ministry of the Interior Act.
In view of the lawful conduct of the elections scheduled for April 4, 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security analyze the incoming information on a daily basis.The analysis concludes that defendants in pre-trial proceedings for smuggling, usury, money laundering, drug trafficking, etc., build criminal networks to offer property benefits in order to secure votes in favor of a particular candidate, political party or coalition.
To ensure security, protection of public order and effective counteraction to crimes against the political rights of citizens in the country, on March 30, 2021, specialized operations were conducted in three areas. The actions were carried out in connection with initiated pre-trial proceedings for money laundering and usury, based on data collected for criminal activity, falling within the scope of Article 167-169 of the Penal Code. The competent Prosecutor's Offices have requested the imposition of a lien under the Measures Against Money Laundering Act in the amount of over BGN 425,000, and about BGN 240,000 and EUR in various banknotes were seized from the detainees, for which there is data that they are intended for buying votes.
The National Interdepartmental Unit will provide daily updated information.