The acting Minister of Internal Affairs Emil Dechev dismissed the directors of key structures in the system. The head of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Boyan Raev, the director of the National Police, Zahari Vaskov, and the head of the Gendarmerie, Nikolay Nikolov, are leaving their posts.
The large-scale reshuffle comes against the backdrop of the ongoing purge at the top levels of the security agency. So far, Emil Dechev has dismissed over 20 directors of regional directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the country, BGNES reports. Among those dismissed are the heads of the structures investigating the tragic incidents near Petrohan and Okolchitsa Peak, where law enforcement agencies found six victims with gunshot wounds.
The head of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior for Sofia Region, Tihomir Tsonev, who had managed the structure since 2023, is losing his post. Together with the regional prosecutor's office, he made the first public statements about the bodies found in the hut near Petrohan. The director of the police in Vratsa, Krasimir Yonchev, is also leaving the system. He became the first official source of information about the remaining three victims found in a camper near Okolchitsa.
Before these dismissals, the acting Minister of the Interior also initiated the removal of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Miroslav Rashkov. President Iliana Yotova has already signed the decree for his dismissal.
"The decision of the service cabinet to propose to Iliana Yotova to dismiss the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Miroslav Rashkov is also related to the local elections in the city of Pazardzhik, the poor organization and the slow reaction", Emil Dechev is categorical. The minister emphasized the serious crime of the Petrohan hut and the absence of the senior professional leadership in front of the media. "This gave the opportunity for all kinds of theories to be unleashed", he added.
Miroslav Rashkov is being replaced by the Bulgarian police attaché in Serbia, Georgi Kandev, who is temporarily taking over the position of Deputy Secretary General. Emil Dechev specified that he will not propose a new holder for the highest professional post.
The changes also covered two of the largest regional directorates in the country. The Minister of the Interior has returned Vasil Kostadinov, who led the structure until August 2023, to the head of the police in Plovdiv. Kostadinov replaces the previous chief Stanimir Kaloferov. In Burgas, the post is taken by Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nenkov, who will temporarily lead the local directorate after Deputy Minister Kaloyan Kaloyanov introduced him to the management team.