1042 days. That's exactly how long Borislav Sarafov managed to stay in the post of prosecutor general on the condition that he was acting temporarily. At the same time, Bulgaria managed to change 5 governments and 3 National Assemblies. Nova TV recalls that Sarafov inherited the post from Ivan Geshev after his turbulent overthrow.
The opportunity for Borislav Sarafov to take the post of prosecutor general opened up after the explosion next to the motorcade of former prosecutor No. 1 - Ivan Geshev, and the collapse in their relations after that. Minutes after the explosion, Sarafov said: “Obviously, the Prosecutor General is a target for someone and not a target to be intimidated, but a target to be killed”, Sarafov said on May 1, 2023.
Four days later, the police refuted Geshev and Sarafov's claims that the Prosecutor General's family was in the car, and Sarafov took a stand against Geshev. He justified himself by saying that he had been misled. “I myself was misled by Mr. Geshev's words that he was worried about his children”, Sarafov said at the time.
Geshev's resignation became a pledge for the “Denkov – Gabriel” government, and prosecutors united in his support. A few days later, they changed course. Then Sarafov demanded Geshev's resignation, and Geshev demanded Sarafov's resignation. Demonstratively, Ivan Geshev declared that he would not leave, but a month later the Supreme Judicial Council's prosecutorial college elected Borislav Sarafov to the post.
“To purge the prosecution of bad practices that were clearly shown by society both inside and outside”, Sarafov insisted on June 16, 2023.
There was a purge – Sarafov demanded the resignations of Geshev's deputies. However, the replacement of the Prosecutor General did not solve the problems against which hundreds gathered to protest – not only under Sarafov's windows, but also literally in front of his door.
At the end of last year, on November 12, the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that Sarafov could not perform the function from July 21. The reason – the change in the law, which does not allow the same person to hold the same position temporarily for more than 6 months. And one of Sarafov's rare statements in recent months has once again managed to polarize society - this one about the "Petrohan" case. "I am shocked. I did not know that such things existed, but, unfortunately, life offers us more striking things than the series "Twin Peaks", which maybe someone has watched", commented Sarafov on February 4.
► Borislav Sarafov's career
He entered the justice system immediately after receiving his law degree from the Higher Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was an inspector in the Main Directorate of Prisons and an investigator in the Sofia District Investigation Service. For five years he was a prosecutor in the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office, and then in the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office. For the next nearly four years he was a prosecutor in the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office.
In 2011, his rapid climb up the professional ladder began when he took over the leadership of the Appellate Specialized Prosecutor's Office. In 2013, he became Deputy Prosecutor General, and in 2017, he headed the National Investigation Service.
In 2023, he was appointed Acting Prosecutor General after Ivan Geshev was removed from office.