Are the photos allegedly from PM Borissov’s bedroom manipulated? What are the conclusions from the Prosecutor’s office?

There are manipulations in the photos and videos, alleged to be from Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s bedroom, the conclusion of the Prosecutor’s office says on December 22.

(The photos, that were leaked to several Bulgarian media in June 2020, that allegedly showed the PM sleeping in his bedroom with a handgun on his nightstand and photos of the same bedroom showing the nightstand drawer filled with wads of EUR 500 banknotes and gold bars.)

It has been established that the dates on some of the photos have been changed. One of the photos is reduced in size. In two of the photos, the objects on the nightstand are arranged in a very similar way, although the photos themselves were probably taken over an extremely long period of time, up to nearly a year-and-a-half between each other.

With regard to the video, it was found that in the time interval from the 21st to the 22nd second, the reflection of the photographer in a mirror is briefly seen - a woman in a black dress, without sleeves, with a bracelet on her arm, with dark hair, but due to poor quality and because it is a reflection, it is difficult for the expert to determine more details. All possible evidence has been gathered, but so far the person in the reflection has not been identified.

The expert conclusions note that the analyzed files are not the original ones, which is why it is impossible to make definite conclusions about what and when was taken based only on the data from them. Despite an objective, comprehensive and complete investigation, it is not possible to establish on which dates the photographs were taken, whether the banknotes seen in the open drawer were genuine, what their quantity and total face value was, and whether the rectangular yellow objects in the drawers are gold, nor whose property they are, the statement of the Prosecutor’s office reads.

Based on these circumstances, the supervising prosecutors do not find that there is evidence in the case of a crime related to the nature of the items in the photos and the video, the origin of these items or the regime of their possession, which requires separation of materials under the Penal Procedure Code. This is because no matter what crime under the Penal Code is being investigated, the main question to be answered is whether the material evidence in the case reflects the objective reality. In the established factual situation, after conducting all possible actions of the investigation at the moment, definite evidence in this direction has not been collected.

Sofia city Prosecutor’s office draws attention to one of the possible hypotheses in the case, in view of its obligation to notify the competent Prosecutor's office in case of data on the composition of another crime, other than the subject of investigation in the pre-trial proceedings. It concerns the assumption made by witnesses in the case that the attached video and photos reflect a specially arranged interior setting with items, in order to present a certain negative image of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Boyko Borissov. This hypothesis is in unison with other evidence established in the course of the investigation - from the prepared technical expert assessment, it can be assumed that the video recording and the photos were taken by persons who are not employees of the National Services for Protection; file data manipulations are present and it is not possible to determine the actual date of the recording.

In this regard, it should be clarified whether there are gaps and violations in the performance of official duties of the relevant employees of the National Service for Protection, related to the effective provision of personal security of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and external security of his dwelling. Therefore, the supervising prosecutors have separated the relevant materials, which have been sent to the Military District Prosecutor's Office.

After carrying out all possible actions in the investigation, the team of prosecutors considers that there are grounds for suspending the criminal proceedings due to non-disclosure of the perpetrator of the crime, the statement reads.

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On the morning of June 17, photos were leaked to several media allegedly showing PM Borissov sleeping in his bedroom in the official state residence in Boyana with a handgun on his nightstand, and other photos showing drawers full of bundles of 500-euro notes and a few gold bars, in what appears to be the same bedroom.

This came a few days after audio recording with words allegedly attributable to the Prime Minister had been leaked through the media.

Later on June 17, Borissov called an extraordinary meeting of his GERB party.

PM: The discrediting disclosures aim at early elections and interim government.

Speaking at the news briefing, Borissov commented that the attacks against him and the ruling party were aimed at overthrowing the government and provoking early parliamentary elections and forming a caretaker government. According to him, the attacks come from the political opponents - from the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), President Rumen Radev is also involved, he said.

He accused the President of spying on him with a drone.

The next day, June 18, President Radev said that he indeed owned a drone but everything else was “just Borissov’s fantasy and paranoia”. He added: “I can’t comment on everything Borissov claims. My imagination has its limits.”

President: I have a drone, but I have nothing to do with what the PM says

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