Scandal in the Ministry of Interior: SRS documents hidden instead of destroyed

A case of a serious violation of the procedures for the destruction of information from Special Intelligence Means (SIM) was established by the National Bureau for Control of Special Intelligence Means (NBCSIM).

The violation in the Ministry of Interior

Despite the existence of protocols certifying the destruction of all information, the inspection found that the paper records containing the results from the SIM were not destroyed, but were unlawfully attached to an operational file.

The leadership of the Ministry of Interior has been notified of the case, and the intervention of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria is pending.

Statistics on SIM for 2025

• Total number of persons subjected to SIM: 2,442 people with 4,315 requests.
• Most active applicants: Ministry of Interior (63.06%) and the Prosecutor's Office (23.82%).
• Increase in urgent cases: 211 cases compared to 187 the previous year.

Main objectives of the wiretapping

SIM were mainly used for combating organized crime (1,347 cases), drug trafficking (995 cases), and crimes against the Republic (191 cases).

Necessary legislative changes

The NBCSIM insists on urgent amendments to the Law on Special Intelligence Means and the Penal Procedure Code. The main problem remains the lack of a clear procedure for the destruction of material evidence obtained through special intelligence means for which the need for storage has ceased, leading to their accumulation for an indefinite period.