President Iliana Yotova defended her 2022 decision to pardon Ognyan Atanasov, known as the “Petrich Escobar“, and stated that the procedure was carried out transparently and based on a medical examination.
The topic has caused sharp political reactions in recent days, after “We continue the change“ and “Yes, Bulgaria“ demanded explanations for Yotova's decision, taken in her capacity as vice president. Atanasov was sentenced to 15 years in prison for importing, trafficking and selling drugs in Greece.
In her position, Yotova emphasizes that not a single decision of the Pardon Commission was hidden from the public. According to her, information about the cases is published in the register of the presidential institution in accordance with the law.
“Pardon is not rehabilitation, nor amnesty“, the head of state emphasized.
Yotova explained that in most cases, decisions to pardon are related to humane considerations and are made after a medical examination. This is exactly how, according to her, the procedure in the case of Atanasov was carried out.
“We have addressed the Ministry of Justice with an official letter, because such is the law. The Minister of Justice has appointed this medical expertise and based on it we have made this decision. Everything is absolutely transparent“, said Yotova.
According to the information of the presidency, at the time of the pardon in 2022, the serving of Atanasov's sentence had already been suspended for two years due to his deteriorating health. He had served five years of his 15-year sentence.
The Pardon Commission requested and received an expert opinion from a special seven-member medical commission regarding his health condition. The presidency states that the decision was made after a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances of the case.
The case was once again put at the center of political debate after it became known that in 2025 Atanasov was detained with five kilograms of cocaine. This became a reason for criticism of Yotova and questions about why he was pardoned.
From „Yes, Bulgaria“ demanded that the presidential institution and the prosecutor's office provide the documents on the basis of which the decision was made. Among them are the application for pardon, the medical report, the materials of the Pardon Commission and the decree on pardon
Yotova, for her part, stated that she did not distance herself from the decision and that she personally bears responsibility for her actions and signatures. She emphasized that she relied on the expertise of the members of the Pardon Commission.
Thus, the dispute surrounding the case continues to have both legal and political dimensions — On the one hand, the presidential institution insists that the procedure was carried out according to the established procedure and based on a medical opinion, and on the other hand, Yotova's political opponents question the very decision to pardon Atanasov.
Here, in my opinion, it is better not to use “drug dealer“ as an established journalistic fact in the headline, but to stick to “convicted of drug trafficking“ — this way the material remains more precise and does not sound like a political qualification.