Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General determined not to step down, called on his deputy to resign

bulgariarsquos prosecutor general determined not step down called his deputy resign

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14:01, 15.05.2023

During a news conference on May 15, Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General, Ivan Geshev, tore up what he said was his resignation. This was the reaction of the Prosecutor General to his requested resignation. He stated that he had been asked to resign by 10.00 am today and his family had been mentioned. He made accusations against GERB, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and his deputy Borislav Sarafov.

"As Prosecutor General, I have worked only for Bulgaria and the security of Bulgarian people. I may have made mistakes, said something unwise, but everything has been in the interest of the people.“ He said he expected, Sarafov (Deputy Prosecutor General and Head of the National Investigation Service) to tender his resignation. “I will finish my term, Sarafov should consider whether his morals, if any. I would direct him to resign given the betrayal to the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s office. In case he does not, tomorrow I will submit a request to the Supreme Judicial Council for his removal from the post," Ivan Geshev said and demonstratively tore up what he said was his resignation and threw it on the ground.

According to him, yesterday he was invited until 10.00 today to resign, his family was mentioned. If he did not resign, the “enter” button would be pressed and incriminating videos would be published. Geshev said he was not afraid. He refused to name exactly who gave him this warning because it was not signed, he had an assumption but no evidence of who was behind it.

Geshev also said that he received a call from a colleague at the end of the week who told him that he had received an order to close the Barcelonagate case, Geshev replied that he was not aware of this and that he expected the case to be handled as the law requires, there was a need for procedural and investigative actions to continue this case until the end of the year. It is likely that this is about execution of court orders from foreign countries.

"I don't know if I'm brave, but I always do things I think are right. I have tried from the beginning of my term to change what I can to improve the security of the people, to fight household and organised crime. The European Commission has said that this problem has been solved. Terrorism cases came up and we investigated, we continued with investigation oligarchs who were considered untouchable and are now hiding in Dubai, Serbia, guarded probably by Russia," the chief prosecutor said.

He commented that for these reasons the Prosecutor’s Office was attacked indiscriminately. Our country lives in an oligarchic model, Geshev said.

"The person Borislav Sarafov, who said that politics should get out of the Prosecutor's Office, I agree and now is the time. Politics is trying to run the Prosecutor's office in the interests of its selfish interests, now it is doing it outrageously and brutally, violating all European values such as the rule of law. Most politicians have no elementary ethics. Months ago I received a proposal to become ambassador to Israel or Turkey. He was told the offer came from GERB leader Boyko Borissov. Geshev said he "did not take the offer seriously”.

He stressed that the assassination attempt was a shock for him.

"I think it was a targeted attempt to kill me. Whether this is so will be shown by the forensics, international partners will join the investigation and the truth about this will come out. What is happening is an assault on the rule of law and an attempt to control the judiciary in contradiction to any European values. It is an attempt to shift the focus from the attack on a chief prosecutor of a European Union country to another direction," Ivan Geshev said.

He expressed hope that Borislav Sarafov would not be his deputy and director of the National Investigation Service for much longer.

Geshev's statement was made in the presence of four of his deputies. Only the fifth deputy, Borislav Sarafov, was not present.

Head of Sofia city Prosecutor’s Office, Iliana Kirilova, was also present at the statement.

By law, it is the state Prosecutor's Office that is competent to investigate persons with immunity (magistrates, MPs and ministers).

Prosecutors’ College of the SJC requested the early release of Geshev from the post of Prosecutor General

Six members of the Prosecutors’ College of the Supreme Judicial Council submitted on 12 May a request for his early dismissal from the post of chief prosecutor due to a serious breach of his duties.

The motion was signed by Georgi Kuzmanov, Yordan Stoev, Kalina Chapkanova, Svetla Boshnakova, Ognyan Damyanov and Gergana Mutafova. It describes the circumstances surrounding the initial investigation of the explosion near Geshev's car.

On 1 May, an explosion went off next to the vehicle of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev while his motorcade was driving on the road from Samokov to Sofia, in the area of the village of Kovachevtsi.