Ivan Demerdzhiev said that he sees a connection between the bomb threats and the revelations related to Delyan Peevski. In an interview with bTV, the Interior Minister said that the signals appear at times when public attention is focused on important topics.
The reason for his comment was the emails received with threats against him. They were announced by the director of the “Cybercrime“ Directorate in the Directorate of the Bulgarian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Senior Commissioner Vladimir Dimitrov.
“I am neither afraid nor can such actions in any way influence my behavior or the decisions I make“, said Demerdzhiev.According to him, the bigger problem is that such signals sow confusion, disrupt the normal life of citizens and create the impression of destabilization. His security was not increased, as there was no reason for this.
What did he say about Peevski's flights
Demerdzhiev recalled that on July 2 he spoke in the National Assembly about Delyan Peevski's flights. According to him, a series of bomb threats began on July 7 and 8 after additional information on the subject emerged.
He stressed that he could not claim that Peevski was personally threatening him, but he believed that there was a connection between the threats and the publicly discussed revelations.
“I cannot conclude that Delyan Peevski is threatening me, but I can say that there is definitely a connection“, said the Interior Minister.Demerdzhiev stated that during his hearing the previous week, there was a specific threat that could have prevented his car from arriving in time for parliamentary control. According to him, the situation was prevented.
He denied that there was a personal conflict between him and Peevski and said that he had presented specific documents, including a report received from the Maltese services. Demerdzhiev also announced that the collection of evidence for alleged embezzlement of public funds through public procurement continues. Some of the materials have already been submitted to the prosecutor's office, and the checks are continuing.
The version of the attacks in the Black Sea
In the interview, Demerdzhiev also commented on the attacks on ships in the Black Sea. He specified that the incidents occurred in international waters, albeit in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone. Bulgaria has an obligation to carry out rescue operations, but does not have the authority to influence ships or aircraft in this area.
According to him, at a meeting of the National Security Advisory Council, the version that Russia is behind the attacks was discussed.
„One of the services indicated as the leading version that we are checking, that Russia is behind the incident“, said Demerdzhiev.He emphasized that the version should not be accepted as a proven fact before the investigation is completed. Demerdzhiev made a comparison with the downed drone near Kardam, where the inspection lasted about a month and determined that the debris was from a Ukrainian drone that was not intended to attack Bulgarian territory.
The Interior Minister also said that he had not met with Kirill Budanov and had not been invited to a meeting with him.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg