Since the beginning of the election campaign in the Burgas region, nearly 105,000 euros have been seized within the framework of operations to counter electoral violations, announced the director of the Regional Directorate (RD) of the Ministry of Interior - Burgas, Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nenkov, at a briefing.
According to him, the seizure is the result of specialized police operations aimed at crimes related to the political rights of citizens.
Since the beginning of the campaign, 261 signals have been received, 218 preliminary investigations and 43 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated. During the checks, 315 warning protocols were drawn up, Nenkov pointed out.
A scheme has been uncovered in which about 50 euros were offered per vote in favor of a certain political force. Six witnesses have also been identified, said the director of the RD of the Ministry of Interior - Burgas. Charges have been brought against two people. At the moment, no lists or other documents have been found, but the investigation continues and work is underway to establish all those involved and the full scope of the activity.
District Prosecutor Maria Markova said that the law provides for a penalty of "deprivation of liberty" from one to six years and a fine.
At the moment, a measure of restraint "house arrest" has been taken against the two accused. The case is in the initial stage of investigation and numerous procedural-investigative actions are to be carried out.
Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nenkov added that the investigation began after receiving preliminary information about the preparation of vote buying. The specialized police operation was carried out on April 8. Then the two were arrested. The scheme involved offering 50 euros per vote in favor of a certain political force.
The two accused have not been convicted and have no criminal record. Work on the case continues.