In the program “120 minutes“ journalist Anna Zarkova presented her new book “Justice for Sale“, in a conversation about the state of the justice system and political dependencies in Bulgaria.
She stated that the subtitle of her book describes “a story of bloodshed and broken destinies that mark the supremacy of the mafia over the state“. She added: “I think I did not express myself very strongly… I expressed myself figuratively“.
The journalist said that the initial idea for the book was different: “At first I gave it a completely different title. It was called “The Battle of Judge Tsarigradska“. According to her, the idea was to trace “the unequal battle of the then famous, willingly or unwillingly, gardener from Lukovit Vladislava Tsarigradska with the powerful alliance of criminal types and corrupt politicians“.
Zarkova explained that she subsequently expanded the focus of the book: “I found that the fate of Judge Vladislava Tsarigradska intersects with many other fates. And if I do not describe these fates, her battle will seem self-serving“.
As a starting point in the book, she pointed to the case of Stanka Marangozova, who was murdered in 2019. “I chose Stanka Marangozova because she is an ordinary woman… and in the end, she was spectacularly shot with a gun hidden in a bouquet of flowers“, Zarkova said. In her words, this is “a murder that bears all the hallmarks of the mafia“.
The question of the changes in the prosecutor's office and the role of Borislav Sarafov was raised. Zarkova commented: “The game continues, the regrouping is taking place, the friendship remains. Sarafov and Geshev stated that they do not want to become chief prosecutors, but this is not a concert of will - this is how the mafia works“.
When asked whether it is possible for the new government to accept “the indecent proposal made by Sarafov, namely to provide it with the prosecutors and investigators under his leadership in exchange for possible friendship with their former employers“, Zarkova replied: “For now, I cannot say that I am sure that this indecent proposal will not be accepted“.