Sofia, 21 November 1997 (RFE/RL) - Bulgaria's Deputy Interior Minister Bozhidar Popov today said that up to 100 state employees are currently under investigation on suspicion of corruption. He said that most of them are in the Customs Service, and the Interior and other ministries. Popov today addressed a conference on corruption co-sponsored by American legal firms and Bulgaria's Justice Ministry.
On the problem of money-laundering, Popov said several Bulgarian bankers are also under investigation.
The head of the office of national investigation, Boiko Rashkov, told RFE/RL that public opinion surveys routinely point to the Interior Ministry's own policemen as the most corruption government employees. But Rashkov noted that -- because of a strong anti-crime, anti-corruption campaign -- Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev is rated the country's most popular politician in the polls, virtually tied with President Petar Stoyanov.