34 People Charged Over Election-Related Offences

Since the start of the election campaign, a total of 3,021 case files have been reported to and opened by the Prosecutor’s Office up to this morning, the Prosecutor's Office said.

A total of 599 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated, including 252 fast-track proceedings for offences against citizens’ political rights.

Thirty-four individuals have been charged.

As of today, prosecutors have refused to open pre-trial proceedings in 2,283 cases due to insufficient evidence of an offence, and in some instances due to the absence of a lawful basis — including anonymous reports.

By appellate region, election-related pre-trial proceedings are distributed as follows:

Sofia Appellate Prosecutor’s Office: 233
Burgas Appellate Prosecutor’s Office: 86
Plovdiv Appellate Prosecutor’s Office: 76
Varna Appellate Prosecutor’s Office: 139
Veliko Tarnovo Appellate Prosecutor’s Office: 65
Fast-track proceedings are distributed as follows:

Sofia: 134
Burgas: 52
Plovdiv: 24
Varna: 25
Veliko Tarnovo: 17
During the election campaign, at the request of the Ministry of Interior, district prosecutors across the country submitted 127 applications to the courts for authorisation to use special intelligence-gathering methods, the Prosecutor’s Office added.

In the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, 166 case files are currently being handled (including those transferred from other prosecutors’ offices across the country) relating to reports of offences committed by individuals with immunity. Six pre-trial proceedings have been initiated.

Separately, the caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said last night that a total of 2,974 reports of election-related violations have been received by the Ministry of Interior since the beginning of the campaign. That figure represents a 204% increase compared with the last parliamentary elections — roughly three times higher.