Former Prime Minister Borissov interviewed at the Prosecutor’s Office

Former Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov, former Finance Minister, Vladislav Goranov and former PR officer of Borissov’s government, Sevdelina Arnaudova, on March 28 were interviewed by an investigator at the Prosecutor's Office in pre-trial proceedings initiated on Vassil Bozhkov's allegations that the three had blackmailed him.

They were detained for 24 hours 10 days ago.

Former PM Borissov and GERB party members arrested in police operation, supporters stage protest outside his home in Bankya

At this stage, what is known from the investigation is word against word. In a third interview, Borissov, Goranov and Arnaudova denied gambling businessman Vassil Bozhkov's allegations. Former Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov says he never asked for and never received money from Vassil Bozhkov. Today he added that Bozhkov never blackmailed him for anything either. Goranov recalled that the Gambling Law was changed in 2013 under the Oresharski cabinet and then the taxation of lottery games was omitted. At the end of 2014 this omission was corrected and lotteries were taxed.

Borissov declined to comment on his testimony on the grounds that he had signed a declaration not to disclose the facts and circumstances of the investigation. He did, however, criticize the government, this time for the debt.

"In just 30 days, a billion and a half new debts with three times higher interest rates. This interest will pass half a billion in a year. So, while you are doing the bidding of the day, on Friday in the Council of Ministers, in Granite Hall, in the presence of Kirill Petkov, a memorandum deal was signed for a billion. Finance Minister Assen Vassilev's excuse yesterday on Nova TV was that he shouldn't check because there was a man from the US embassy. And where are the services? Are the services not checking?" said opposition GERB leader, Boyko Borissov.

Former Finance Minister, Vladislav Goranov, also did not comment the questioning in detail. He said that Vassil Bozhkov's allegations that he had been blackmailed were untrue. The investigator's questions were the same as those he had been asked during the previous two police interviews. Today, however, he was asked more about the facts that Prime Minister Kiril Petkov had told in his witness statement.

Witness Petkov is involved in an attempt to settle accounts with the opposition at a time when there are far greater crises in the country. It continues to be puzzling to me why such a blatant violation of the law occurred, because to arrest the leader of the opposition is an extremely desperate and infantile move," Vladislav Goranov added.

BNT: In 2019, has Mr Bozhkov asked you to do things that are on the edge or on the other side of the law?

"The law on gambling in the part of gambling taxation has not been changed since the end of 2014. Whatever Mr Bozhkov claims, the gambling law has not been changed," Vladislav Goranov said.

Last to be questioned was Borissov's media adviser Sevdelina Arnaudova.

"I just stopped out of respect for you to tell you that I can't talk because I also signed a declaration not to disclose facts. This is the only thing I can tell you," Sevdelina Arnaudova told journalists.

According to her, what is happening is a political attack against the former ruling party GERB.

Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, is also to be re-interviewed as a witness. This is necessary because the first one was conducted by an investigating police officer and according to the prosecutor's office only an investigator can carry out actions in this investigation. An interview of Vassil Bozhkov himself via videoconference is also to be requested.

***

Borisov, Goranov and Arnaudova were detained on March 17 for 24 hours in connection with allegation for extortion by former gambling tycoon Vassil Bozhkov, who currently in Dubai but is wanted in Bulgaria on criminal charges.

The first action in the investigation was the questioning of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov as a witness. On March 18, the three were released without charge. The Prosecutor’s office said that the actions of the Ministry of Interior in the investigation were flawed because they should have been carried out by an investigator and therefore some of them will be repeated.

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