Corruption in Bulgaria has distorted the way institutions function and the way they are controlled, and this is to the detriment of the Bulgarian people, US Ambassador to Bulgaria Herro Mustafa said, addressing the Rule of Law and the Business Environment in Bulgaria conference, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria. As an illustration of this problem she described stories of lawyers with suitcases, behind-the-scenes dealings, very powerful persons who use Bulgarian government institutions to intimidate others, and a very small group of people who have created a system of enrichment of the oligarchic class. Ambassador Mustafa also spoke of the three Bulgarians who have been sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act. The US has denied visas to six Bulgarians suspected of corruption, but none of them has been sentenced for an offence in Bulgaria. Many of them have not even received disciplinary penalties and have not been relieved of office, Ambassador Mustafa said.