Borislav Sarafov Resigned as Acting Prosecutor General

The resignation of acting ProsecutorGeneral Borislav Sarafov has been submitted to the Prosecutors' College of the Supreme Judicial Council, the institution confirmed to BNT. The College is expected to review Sarafov’s application as the first item on the agenda at today’s meeting, April 22.

Sarafov also sent a letter to the media announcing that he had withdrawn his consent to continue serving as acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria.

This is the full text of the statement:

DEAR PROSECUTORS, INVESTIGATORS AND JUDICIAL OFFICIALS,

I address to you to inform you that today, before the Prosecutorial College of the Supreme Judicial Council, I withdrew my consent to assume the position of Acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In less than two months, it will be three years since I was appointed as the Administrative Head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria. In June 2023, I assumed this responsibility in an extremely complicated institutional and socio-political environment, marked by tension, erosion of public trust, and attempts to involve the Prosecutor's Office in processes outside its constitutional functions.

With a clear awareness of the role of the Prosecutor's Office as a guarantor of legality and public order, I have made consistent efforts for institutional stabilization, professional consolidation and restoration of trust in our activities. With your support, these efforts have achieved results and today the Prosecutor's Office is in a more sustainable and professional state. This is reflected in the high appreciation and respect that the institution enjoys from its international partners.

I made my decision some time ago, after careful consideration of all legal and institutional consequences. I postponed its announcement in order to prevent further destabilization of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria in the context of a prolonged and severe political crisis, which, I hope, as the majority of Bulgarian citizens have demonstrated, has this time found its successful resolution.

Unfortunately, in the past months, the Prosecutor's Office has continued to be subjected to groundless and unlawful pressure. In addition, I have become the subject of a targeted smear and defamatory campaign. Nevertheless, I have put the interests of the institution, to which I have dedicated more than three decades of my professional career, above all else, and have taken on the responsibility to continue performing my functions.

I believe that at present there are prerequisites for a new stage in the development of the prosecution service - a stage based on sustainability and predictability.

I sincerely hope that in a short time, the implementation of the long-delayed decisions and elections in the judiciary will begin, while observing the principles of transparency, legality and responsibility, and unconditionally guaranteeing the independence of Bulgarian magistrates, who are the biggest supporters of the implementation of judicial reform, in which professional criteria and the fulfillment of public expectations for the establishment of the rule of law and the achievement of justice will be the leading factors.

I am convinced that the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria will continue to fulfill its constitutional functions with the necessary responsibility, consistency and independence. My commitment remains to continue serving the judiciary and the Bulgarian citizens within the framework of the law and my professional duty.

Dear Colleagues, thank you for your professionalism, resilience and support!