'Petrohan' Case Hearing in Parliament

Bulgaria’s Parliament on February 11 focused on the “Petrohan–Okolchitsa” case, hearing from representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the National Police, the Criminal Police Directorate, the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the State Agency for Child Protection.

The outgoing Minister of Interior did not take part in the hearing.

“The Interior Minister is not in the country, so he has not gone into hiding. I would like to stress that political exploitation of criminal cases does not help clarify the course of justice,” said Denitsa Sacheva, MP from GERB-UDF

Deputy Interior Minister Filip Popov outlined, step by step, the actions taken by the ministry, much of which had already been presented at previous briefings.

“No minister or member of the political cabinet has the right to interfere in procedural and investigative actions. So far, as the leadership of the Ministry of Interior, we have strictly adhered to this principle,” Popov said.

Yavor Serafimov, head of the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, addressed media speculation about drug trafficking or migrant smuggling.

“So far, no such reports have been identified within the directorate,” he said.

SANS acting chair Denyo Denev rejected speculation circulating in the public sphere.

“I would like to state explicitly that employees of the State Agency for National Security were not present during the initial inspection of the crime scene in the area of Petrohan Hut,” he said.

Popov reiterated that investigators were continuing to examine all possible lines of inquiry.

“One of the working hypotheses concerns a closed community with elements of a sect,” he added.

He also revealed that the camper van linked to the case had been recorded on the Trakia motorway near Ihtiman, travelling towards Sofia.

“Video footage shows that a minor girl was in the vehicle with them. On 30 January 2026, according to data from the Road Infrastructure Agency and witness statements, the girl was left at her home address,” Popov said.

Five cameras were seized from Petrohan.

Five cameras were seized from the Petrohan site.

“One mounted on the façade of the building, one positioned opposite the rear entrance, one placed in a tree in the yard, and two installed on trees along the road leading to the building,” Popov detailed.

Chief Commissioner Zahari Vaskov, head of the National Police Directorate, said recordings had been seized.

“Some have been destroyed, many have not. Recordings are still being reviewed and analysed,” he said.

After tensions rose in the chamber, the session was closed to the public for a second round of questions, including one from Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of 'We Continue the Change', who asked whether any of the individuals involved had cooperated with SANS in other cases — information he suggested might form part of the agency’s operational records and fall outside the scope of the pre-trial proceedings.

Bozhidar Bojanov - co-chair of the WCC: "Whether any of the persons cooperated with the SANS in other cases and this is part of the operational report of the SANS and this is not the subject of pre-trial proceedings and does not require permission from the supervising prosecutor."

Following the closed portion of the hearing, MPs made political statements.

Manoil Manov of GERB said the request for the hearing had two possible aims: “either to run an election campaign or to attempt to justify oneself from the outset. The Bible says there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”

Bozhidar Bozhanov of WCC-DB alleged that Mr Denev had attended briefings “in offices close to MRF”, holding up documents in the chamber.

Kostadin Kostadinov of Vazrazhdane launched a fierce attack, declaring: “I will do everything necessary and possible — and impossible — for your entire paedophile sect to be removed from the face of the earth.”

The presiding MP, Kostadin Angelov, issued him with a formal reprimand.

Yordan Tsonev of MRF said: “Bulgaria expects you to get to the bottom of this story and for all those who have broken the law to be punished.”

Natalia Kiselova of BSP urged restraint: “Be more humble. Let us place our trust in the Bulgarian police.”

Toshko Yordanov of There Is Such a People said: “A line is being drawn — on one side WCC-DB, on the other everyone else.”

Yavor Haytov of ARF called for moderation: “Let us be better and more humble.”

Krasimira Katincharova of Velichie said the day’s hearing had not provided the answers she had expected.

Radostin Vasilev of MECH (Morality, Unity, Honour) argued that the scale of the tragedy pointed to institutional failure: “For six bodies to be found in Bulgaria, including that of a child, something in the state institutions is clearly broken.”

photo by BTA

The hearing concluded with three formal reprimands issued to MPs.