Tensions are running high in the Council of Ministers. The prime minister sharply criticized the prosecutor’s office for obstructing investigations into major corruption crimes.
Rumen Radev also called for greater justice across all areas of public and political life, saying this was what Bulgarian citizens expected.
The Prime Minister's strongest criticism was directed at the Prosecutor's Office, while he also sought to clarify the government's plans for the National Children's Hospital.
Radev argued that, instead of assisting investigations into political corruption, prosecutors had hindered the work of the Ministry of the Interior and the security services. Referring to the case involving detained executives of the Burgas Water Supply and Sewerage Company (ViK–Burgas), he said that after evidence allegedly emerged implicating individuals with parliamentary immunity, the case had been transferred by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office back to Burgas.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: "They sent it back in such a way that the case took an entire week to travel from Sofia to Burgas. The first supervising prosecutor assigned to the case recused himself. The second prosecutor recused himself. The third prosecutor recused himself. The investigation is now in limbo and has effectively been derailed. At the same time, the employees of ViK–Burgas are walking free. Naturally, they are being subjected to pressure from the same nationally known public figures. Seeing the prosecution's tacit support for burying the case, they are beginning to waver and withdraw their original statements."
The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office responded by stating that, after reviewing the evidence gathered during the investigation, the supervising prosecutors had concluded that there was no evidence of criminal offences falling within its jurisdiction, including offences allegedly committed by individuals enjoying constitutionally protected immunity or crimes committed within the territory of the city of Sofia.
The Burgas District Prosecutor's Office also issued a statement, confirming that it had received the case on 23 July following an order by a prosecutor from the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office. It added that, after examining the case materials, several prosecutors had exercised their right to recuse themselves, with those recusals subsequently upheld by the Burgas Appellate Prosecutor's Office as justified. The office stressed that none of the recusal requests cited any connection between the prosecutors and the suspects.
Radev also said the upcoming election of a new Supreme Judicial Council should demonstrate whether the judiciary was ready to free itself from the dependencies of the past.
"That is why we have made it clear that there will be no compromise on the professional competence and moral integrity of candidates for senior positions within the judiciary. This selection process must serve society and justice, not party interests."
Photos: BTA
The Prime Minister also rejected claims that the government had abandoned plans to build the National Children's Hospital. He said funding for the project had been secured and argued that the main obstacle was the delay in procedures since 2023.
"I want to reassure parents, doctors and the public that we are firmly determined to resolve this legal deadlock and build the hospital as quickly as possible."
Radev reiterated that the National Children's Hospital remained a genuine national priority for his government rather than, in his words, "a clumsy instrument for political attacks".
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