BULGARIA’S PROSECUTOR GENERAL SEEKS LIFTING OF IMMUNITY OF 5 MPs AND 1 MEP

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General, Sotir Tsatsarov, requested from the 43rd National Assembly on 12th of October, to remove the immunity from prosecution of 5 Members of the Bulgarian Parliament: Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Volen Siderov, Georgi Svilenski, Iliya Iliev, Dimitar Dimitrov and the Member of the European Parliament, Sergei Stanishev. The requests are based on data that penal proceedings have been undertaken against persons with immunity, the Prosecutor’s Office announced.

The request for lifting the immunity of MP Tsvetan Tsvetanov (Deputy Chairman of centre-right GERB party and Chairman of GERB’s Parliamentary Group) is based on the 3 penal proceedings for general crimes, including misappropriation in public office in his capacity of Minister of Interior.

Lifting the immunity of MP Volen Siderov (the leader of the nationalist Ataka party and chairman of Ataka’s Parliamentary group) has been requested on the grounds of indictment for hooliganism.

The removal of the immunity of MP Georgi Svilenski (centre-left Bulgarian Socialist Party - BSP) was requested over a case in which he is a defendant for deliberately not taking care for the management of entrusted property and causing considerable damages.

The immunity of MP Iliya Iliev (Liberal “Movement for Rights and Freedoms”) was requested because there is a pre-trial procedure against him for alleged tax evasion.

The immunity of MP Dimitar Dimitrov (centre-left BSP) was requested over the pre-trial proceedings against him for allegations that he unlawfully damaged mortgaged property.

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General has sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament requesting Sergei Stanishev’s immunity to be lifted because of a court case against him for losing documents containing classified information. Sergei Stanishev is an MEP and the President of the Party of European Socialists.