Chief Prosecutor Ordered New, Additional Forensic Medical Examination into the Death of Yavor Georgiev from Varna

The Acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria, Borislav Sarafov, has personally committed to an objective, comprehensive, and in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of 36-year-old Yavor Georgiev from Varna.

The Varna District Prosecutor’s Office has been instructed to commission a new, additional complex forensic medical examination as part of the ongoing pre-trial proceedings regarding Georgiev’s death, which occurred on June 7. This new examination will be independent from the previously conducted triple forensic medical and toxicological reports already included in the case file.

To determine the potential responsibility of the four police officers involved in Georgiev’s detention, the pre-trial investigation is being led by a state investigator.

The investigation will examine to what extent the actions of the Ministry of Interior officers complied with legal regulations.

• A cocktail of cocaine, marijuana and alcohol in the blood of Yavor from Varna - see the expert report

In the event that evidence of abuse of power is gathered, including the use of force, infliction of blows, and other misconduct, criminal liability will be sought against each of the offending police officers.

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Varna has also been tasked with clarifying the actions of the medical teams involved in the transportation of Yavor Georgiev, as well as those of the staff at the psychiatric ward of UMHAT "St. Marina".

In the course of the investigation, the prosecutor's office and the Ministry of the Interior should clarify all the facts and circumstances related to the whereabouts of Yavor Georgiev in the hours before his death.

Active investigative measures are currently underway in the pre-trial proceedings, including interviews of witnesses, relatives of the deceased, review of video recordings, etc.

Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov has demanded that the District Prosecutor’s Office in Varna conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation and hold criminally accountable all individuals against whom evidence of involvement in the young man’s death is found.