A new hearing in the case against former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, related to the arrests of Boyko Borisov, Vladislav Goranov and Sevdalina Arnaudova in March 2022.
According to the prosecution's indictment, Petkov committed official crimes in his capacity as Prime Minister by exceeding his powers and ordering the detention of the three without sufficient legal basis. It is also stated that he pressured police officers to take urgent action, including searches without prior court authorization.
The indictment was filed with the court in January 2025. At the end of April, the Sofia City Court accepted that there were no significant procedural violations and proceeded with the case on the merits. In the following months, the trial continued with witness questioning and evidence gathering, with over 40 people being questioned and video footage being submitted so far.
In November 2025, witnesses were heard and evidence was discussed in the courtroom, and in January 2026, high-ranking police officers who participated in the preparation and execution of the operation were questioned. One of the witnesses claimed that before the arrests, there was a meeting in the Council of Ministers with the participation of Kiril Petkov, Boyko Rashkov and Assen Vassilev.
At a hearing in March 2026, the court refused to accept as evidence a video recording of a hearing of the European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi in the European Parliament. The prosecutor's office stated that it would request the recording in a different order.
The same month, Laura Kövesi stated to MEPs that the European Public Prosecutor's Office had no connection to the arrest of Boyko Borisov in 2022.