Organized Crime and Political Process: RiskMonitor’s International Workshop

Bulgaria is among the main participants in human trafficking, said RiskMonitor's Georgi Petrunov. 85% of the victims of human trafficking are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, followed by labor exploitation, subjection to involuntary servitude and trafficking in human organs according to the official data of the Prosecutor’s Office.

This topic along with other problems related to organized crime were discussed by analysts, journalists, representatives of different institutions and the civil sector during RiskMonitor’s workshop “Organized Crime and Political Process”, held in Borovets from 27 to 29 November 2009.
As stated by Iva Pushkarova (RiskMonitor) after the 2005 local elections the direct participation of representatives of organized crime groups in the government became obvious, while employee corruption is not used as a main strategy. In Greece, on the other hand, bribery of high level officials and political parties is more commonly used, said Charalampos Papaharalampous.

H.E. Ms. Sheila Camerer, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Bulgaria, presented the state policies for countering organized crime in South Africa and Bulgaria. H.E. Ms. Camerer stressed that both countries are in similar position and urgently need law enforcement agencies and constant monitoring of the results of the fight against organized crime.

Antoaneta Tconeva (Institute for Public Environment Development) presented a field study conducted in several municipalities: Sozopol, Nessebar, Kazanluk, Petrich and Sandanski. The study reveals the mechanisms used by organized crime groups, networks and business circles to attack the local authority. During the 2007 local elections in the municipality of Nessebar the voting activity reached 90%, which is a clear indication of vote buying. The study points out the reasons for the widespread vote-buying: presence of dirty money, weak external control over local authorities, and absence on a local level of political structures to compete with one another.

The Conference was financed by the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program of the OSI and CEE Trust.

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