With 203 votes "for" the parliament accepted the resignation of the head of the Commission for the Confiscation of Illegally Acquired Property Anton Slavchev.
203 deputies were in favor, one against, there were no abstentions. The resignation was supported by GERB-SDF, “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria“ (PP-DB), “Vazrazhdane“, “DPS-New Beginning“, “BSP-United Left“, “There is such a people“, “Alliance for Rights and Freedoms“, “Morality, Unity, Honor“, “Majesty“ and five non-members of a group of MPs. One MP from the APS was against, dariknews.bg recalled.
Ivaylo Mirchev (PP-DB) demanded that Slavchev be summoned to the plenary hall. This is the man who organized the arrest of the Varna mayor, a series of interrogations, who made employees of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressure witnesses in a certain direction, he argued. Therefore, according to Mirchev, it is important for Anton Slavchev to come to the plenary hall and say whether he has done such things.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Kostadin Angelov (GERB-SDS) addressed Ivaylo Mirchev, reminding him that PP-DB collected signatures for Slavchev's resignation, and GERB leader Boyko Borisov signed. Now that it has been deposited, you say why you are resigning. Purely professionally, this is called “split personality“, I say it for myself because I have the feeling that I live in different realities, Angelov explained.
You and your group should not think that you are outside the law, you and your group are constantly violating the rules, addressed Mirchev Lachezar Ivanov (GERB-SDS). You can't speak from this rostrum in this edifying tone about who is right and who is wrong, you speak with the words that the communist party has spoken, the deputy continued. In the elections, you will see that you are not anything more than the others, Ivanov concluded.
According to Bozhidar Bozhanov (PP-DB), Anton Slavchev has been hiding from parliament all this time. A report must be received on what the CPKONPI and the Commission for Combating Corruption have done since its separation, he pointed out. The CPK has damaged the state budget by millions, all of its claims, which have been rejected by the court, are detrimental to the public interest, the commission has been sentenced to pay a lot of state funds, Bozhanov emphasized. In this sense, he explained, this resignation is very late. Slavchev is resigning only from the CPKONPI, a commission that has also not done its job, the deputy emphasized.
Kostadin Kostadinov confirmed that “Vazrazhdane" will support the resignation. Anton Slavchev is providing an umbrella over certain politicians, but I ask PP-DB what you give the umbrella to, which he stretched for five months over the mayor of Varna, who is your man, asked the leader of “Vazrazhdane“.
It is a bit offensive to talk about an umbrella from Anton Slavchev and the Communist Party of Bulgaria over the Varna mayor, after he has been in custody for months, Bozhidar Bozhanov replied.
At the end of January, the National Assembly made a final decision to close the Commission for Combating Corruption at the initiative of GERB. Until now, the body was headed by Anton Slavchev, who took office in 2022, after the previous chairman and former Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov resigned from office. His resignation came amid increased political pressure from the then ruling majority to change the anti-corruption structure and divide it into two independent units. After the reorganization of the CCIP in the fall of 2023, Slavchev continued to lead both new bodies - the commission for combating corruption and the separate commission for establishing conflicts of interest.