by Lt.Col. Nikolay Yordanov, Security Service,
Ministry of Defense, Bulgaria
Security Service - Military Counter Intelligence and
Military Police is a separately organized special service providing
for the security of MoD and BA. The Service supplies the MoD
Managerial body with informational and analysis backing on national
security issues, duly develops and implements appropriate
counter-measures towards encroachments against the Armed Forces,
and investigates crimes.
The analysis of risk factors in global, regional and
national aspect defines corruption, economic and financial crimes
in their relation with international terrorism, illegal trade of
weapons and WMD, organized crime and dissemination of drugs as a
potential threat to the security of the Republic of Bulgaria as a
whole and to the MoD in particular.
The effective deterrence of acts of corruption
requires incisive knowledge of the basic forms and indications of
corruption, organization of a due and reliable set of neutralizing
measures and their smooth performance.
In the process of re-structuring of MoD under the
present economic situation in Bulgaria /the Currency Board/ the
possible encroachments against the MoD economic and financial
stability ould threaten the national security.
The illegal actions are a prerequisite for financial
destabilization, failure of the Bulgarian Armed Forces to fulfill
its duty to safeguard the national security, impossibility for the
structural sectors to function properly, and impediment of the
maintenance and the modernization of the military equipment and
armament.
In order to succeed in the effective neutralization
of corruption in the system of MoD, the MSS worked out a profound
analysis and determined the main potential encroachment trends
against the MoD economic and financial stability. In accordance
with the drawn conclusions a programme was initiated to optimize
the operative and the operative retrieval activity for detection
and neutralization of the symptoms of corruption and for
investigation of economic offences.
The main potential trends of criminal encroachments
against the MoD economic security are as follows:
- Violations of the procedure of competitions held
under the provisions of the Public Procurement Act committed by
officials and aimed at favouring certain companies in order for the
official to gain personal advantage;
- Realization of illegitimate 'lobbying' schemes by
officials in favour of certain companies;
- Delivery of useless or non-standard spare parts for
military equipment and armament;
- Contracting and executing unprofitable for MoD
agreements favouring civilian contractors;
- Illegitimate transformation, re-categorization and
fictitious write-off of military assets with the purpose of either
concealing shortage or registering amounts unaccounted for and
their appropriation by the responsible official;
- Diversion of financial means from MoD budget
through schemes for fictitious industrial, construction-assembly
and repair-remedial activities in the relevant sites;
- Deliberate decreasing in value of MoD assets
followed by contracting unprofitable for MoD agreements;
- Permanent impediment of the realization of
industrial projects, scientific and developmental research aimed at
slumping the price of the trade companies acting under the
authority of the Minister of Defence;
- Preparation and execution of MoD trade contracts
for special production either with unlicensed contractors or with
unknown final consignees, thus creating opportunities for violating
UN restrictions and compromising MoD and the Republic of
Bulgaria;
- Illegitimate transfer of assets between MoD-owned
trade companies aimed at personal profit in case of
privatization;
- Realization of production-commercial relations
between the MoD and civilian companies resulting in damages to the
national budget and compromising MoD through not paying customs and
tax rates;
A major objective of MSS is the preventive activity
connected with uncovering of signs of prepared illegal acts against
MoD financial stability and neutralizing the occurrence of damaging
after-effects.
The supply of objective information to the
management bodies of MoD concerning economic stability issues and
the initiation of relevant managerial action is a binding condition
for the financial stability and the fighting efficiency of
Bulgarian Armed Forces.
MSS activity for detecting and neutralization of
committed encroachments on MoD security is carried out through the
use of all legal means and with the cooperation of the institutions
involved with security issues according to the responsibility
dividing principle:
- Criminal prosecution including the respective
military police investigation;
- Administrative investigation which is in the
authority of the commanders and the chiefs of BAF;
- Financial control and audit - exerted by the State
Financial Control at the Ministry of Finance and the 'Financial
Control' Directorate;
The essence of the actual functions of MSS in the
fight against corruption is that our efforts are aimed not only at
proving the bribe acceptance but most of all we undertake actions
to uncover, neutralize and investigate the illegal actions of the
official involved, which he was bribed for.
We consider misuse of office the following cases:
when the official accepts bribe, solicits or extorts bribe. The
violations of office are carried out through: circumventing the
legal requirements for publicity, competitiveness and clarity of
the competitions; favouring certain contractors; not sanctioning
violations; deliberate transfer of financial means towards certain
spheres.
In the absence of bribe we also consider misuse of
office the following cases:
- Illegitimate patronizing and nepotism;
- Theft of assets;
- Diversion of financial and material assets;
Thus the efforts of MSS are mainly concentrated on
detecting the signs of misuse of office, neutralizing the
occurrence of damaging after-effects and investigating of already
committed offences.
The active civilian control over the MSS work plays
a significant rele for the effective deterrence of corruption. The
legal basis for exertion of legislative, judicial and
administrative control ensures the due and unprejudiced realization
of anti-corruption activities and make it impossible for the act of
corruption to be concealed.
MSS refers to the problems of fighting corruption
and the breaches against the economic and financial stability
taking into consideration their close connection with the fight
against international terrorism, illegal trade of weapons and
products with a possible double purpose, biological, chemical and
radioactive substances, organized crime and drug-trafficking.
The comprehensive evaluation of the above mentioned
threats and the well-organized counter-measures of MSS provide for
the due neutralization of the risk factors.
The exchange of information between MSS and the
Special Services of NATO member states is an extremely significant
component of the combating international terrorism, illegal trade
of weapons and WMD and corruption, thus providing for the
fulfillment of Bulgaria's obligations concerning the system of
collective security.
|