Bulgaria Police Officials Fired Over People Smuggler Blunder

SOFIA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th August, 2016) : Bulgaria's border police chief and one of his deputies were forced to resign on Monday over revelations they hired a man charged with people smuggling to transport migrants on behalf of the government. The two border police officials were forced to stand down after it emerged that they had inadvertently signed a 100,000-euro tender with a transportation firm headed by a man awaiting trial for transporting 65 illegal migrants on his bus earlier this year.

The story emerged on Sunday following an investigation by Darik private radio station, which said the one-year contract had been signed by the border police directorate on August 10 on behalf of the interior ministry.

"The interior minister accepted the resignations of Antonio Angelov and Yotko Andreev," the ministry said on its website, shortly after Prime Minister Boyko Borisov demanded they be removed from office.

The ministry said the company won the tender because it had offered the lowest price and that it had no idea about the identity of the owner, who was represented by his father at the tender. In a move to curb people smuggling, the interior ministry has ordered the establishment of internal checkpoints at major roads used by the smugglers.