“We Continue the Change” has submitted a new request to the National Assembly for a hearing of representatives of the executive branch, the security services and the prison administration regarding the pardons of Ognyan Atanasov and Dinko Stefanov Gospodinov. The party says that the two men are linked to drug trafficking.
The request comes after yet another parliamentary session on the issue failed. On October 28, MPs failed to reach the required quorum for the third time, after previous attempts on October 13 and 21 also did not take place.
Which institutions must provide explanations
PP is proposing that Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, Chief Commissioner Ivaylo Yordanov, director general of the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences, senior commissioner Svetoslav Penov, head of Sofia Prison, and Vasil Kordev, who headed the prison in November and December 2022, be heard.
The list also includes the head of Burgas Prison, the head of the “Medical Care in Places of Detention” sector at the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences, the doctor who prepared or signed the medical conclusion on Ognyan Atanasov, the chairman of the State Agency for National Security, the chairman of the Presidential Pardons Commission, the chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, the director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the director of the specialized hospital at Sofia Prison.
What the party wants to clarify
The proposed hearing is intended to provide information on the preparation, verification and submission of the medical conclusions, as well as on the reports concerning the conduct of Ognyan Atanasov and Dinko Gospodinov in connection with their pardons.
PP is also seeking answers about the reporting of the fight at the prison medical facility involving Atanasov on November 16, 2022. The questions raised also include information about pressure on doctors and their relatives, the exchange of information with the presidency, and Atanasov’s possible links to the State Agency for National Security and the Interior Ministry.
“There remains a need for parliamentary clarification of the issues concerning the medical conclusions, the reports on his conduct, the information about pressure on doctors and the exchange of information between the institutions,” PP stated.The party says that the hearing should enable the National Assembly to assess the measures needed to oversee the administration’s work and protect citizens. The new request is due to be considered under parliamentary procedure.
Sources: novini.bg, btvnovinite.bg, eurocom.bg