Political Parties and the Judicial System Most Corrupted In Bulgaria

Political parties and the judicial system hold the top positions in terms of corruption in the
latest survey on Bulgaria conducted by the local chapter of Transparency International, the organization's Deputy Chairman Dimiter Kyumyurdjiev told a seminar organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Democracy Foundation, BTA reported.

These two spheres have a corruption rating of 4.3 out of a maximum of 5 points. They are followed by the National Assembly and public health services with 4.2 points each, and police and tax services with 4.0 points. The armed forces have a corruption index of 2.8 points.

Sixty-six per cent of respondents say that the government is failing to combat corruption. Only 1 per cent of interviewees find that the government's effort to combat corruption is successful.

No decisive measures against corruption can be seen in Bulgaria, Kyumyurdjiev went on to say. In this index Bulgaria is in the last but one position, ahead of Romania.

Yuliana Nikolova, Director of the European Institute in Bulgaria, said that the six points discussed in the European Commission's progress report on Bulgaria will hardly change until June, when the next report is due to be published. She noted that the major criticisms in the report are related to the condition of the judicial system and the police.