Head of the National Service for Protection on the Journalist Sonya Koltuklieva Case: I Saw Mistakes by Our Officers

“I saw mistakes by our officers. A person who has fallen must be helped,” Major General Emil Tonev, head of the National Service for Protection (NSp), told the media. He was commenting on the case involving journalist Sonya Koltuklieva.

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“We have launched an investigation—an internal investigation—to determine whether the requirements under which our colleagues operate were followed.

Journalist: Did you see mistakes by your officers?

Yes, I saw mistakes by our officers. I cannot give you any further information because, as I said, an investigation is currently under way, as are pre-trial proceedings, so I am unable to provide any additional details.”

“We do not give orders to anyone. We follow the procedures as they stand. In this case, we had a procedure that required our colleagues to leave the scene.”

General Tonev, who submitted his resignation a few days ago, said that once his resignation had been requested, he had no choice but to submit it. Asked whether he would agree to remain head of the NSP if the Council of Ministers refused to accept his departure fromthe post, Tonev said that he was “a public servant and will always remain a public servant”.

General Emil Tonev is a witness in the case against former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who has been charged with an offence committed in office.