(SOFIA) - Bulgaria's prime minister vowed Friday to block any misuse of EU subsidies and prosecute anyone involved in an interior ministry corruption scandal, ahead of a visit by the EU's top official.

Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev told parliament that the government would "reinforce mechanisms for preventing misuse, improve supervision of projects, increase transparency as to the beneficiaries of the subsidies, introduce external audit and improve administrative capacity" in the distribution of European funds.

He was speaking ahead of a visit Friday by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who was expected to press Bulgaria to stamp out corruption and take further steps against organised crime.

The European Commission partly froze payments to the EU newcomer recently over corruption concerns.

"This is a problem but also a chance to make our internal changes to improve the use of the funds... Corrective measures will be taken," Stanishev said Friday.

Bulgaria was shaken this week by a corruption scandal in the interior ministry that exposed links between top crime-busters and criminals under investigation.

Stanishev and his Socialist party have so far backed Interior Minister Rumen Petkov despite right-wing opposition calls for him to be sacked.

But the prime minister warned Friday: "There will be clear measures. Everyone caught in wrongdoing will bear responsibility, but on the basis of proven evidence by the prosecution, which I trust."

"There will be no political umbrella over anybody," he added, referring to Petkov's powerful influence within the Socialist party.

The leaders of the three parties in government are to meet next week to discuss changes in the cabinet and "Petkov is almost certain to part with his job," Dnevnik newspaper reported Friday citing coalition sources.

Socialist deputy Tatyana Doncheva added: "The prime minister has no more than 48 hours to sack the interior minister or receive his resignation."

"This is the only possible European behaviour... If it does not happen, this avalanche will drag down the whole government," she said.

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