PRESIDENT RADEV SIGNED A DECREE TO DISMISS GEORGI KOSTOV FROM THE POST OF MINISTRY OF INTERIOR’S CHIEF SECRETARY

Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev signed a decree on 22nd of February to release Georgi Kostov, Chief Secretary of the Ministery of Interior, from the post. Earlier today, the Council of Ministers asked President Radev to dismiss Kostov. This was announced by the caretaker Interior Minister Plamen Uzunov after a cabinet meeting. The reasoning said that the Chief Secretary was allegedly involved in exertion of political pressure on employees and thus breached the political neutrality of the Ministry. Several hours later Kostov described reasons for his removal as bizarre.

According to the caretaker Interior Minister Plamen Uzunov, the Chief Secretary had violated the principle of political neutrality and in the period 2015- 2016 exerted pressure on five police officers, which were removed from their jobs against in breach of the rules.

Later in the day, the Chief Secretary said he had learned from the media about the proposal to be removed. Georgi Kostov said that the Interior Minister demanded his resignation last week on the grounds that he had lost trust in him, but Kostov refesed to resign and filed a signal to the Prosecutor’s office for political pressure on him.

Kostov also said that in a face-to-face meeting, the caretaker interior minister told him he could work with him, but there was pressure to fire him from other leaders in the state – the Prime Minister.