SANS Reports Sound Like Chitchat

Mr. Popov comments on the latest document that has been made public: "One cannot call this paper a document. It is incredible that a contemporary intelligence is involved in such gossiping”. The report reflects the catastrophic level of the informational-analytic activities performed by the Bulgarian intelligence service. "An Agency which produces reports of this kind cannot be trusted in critical situations”. It seems the Agency is only dealing with internal political gossip".

The interview recalls RiskMonitor’s position, of late 2008, about a year after the establishment of the Agency: “We gave warning that this institution was created as a hybrid with interweaving functions. In stable Western democracies these functions are performed by separate institutions. Brought together in a single institution presents a huge power resource. The control mechanisms over the Agency were created too late”, emphasizes Mr. Popov. SANS is overburdened with intelligence, police and investigation functions, which is truly a challenge for every democratic institution.

Interview with Stefan Popov

Bulgarian National Radio, Horizont Program, 12+3 Broadcast, 29 October 2009