Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Atanas Atanasov announced that his coalition will demand the removal of the acting head of SANS.
The reason - the information from the spokesperson for the European Commission that President Ursula von der Leyen's plane had a problem with the navigation systems when landing in Sofia. According to him, this is a likely hybrid attack by Russia.
„This is the most important security institution in the country. It cannot be led by a person suspected of political dependence“,” Atanasov said on bTV.
He added that the prime minister should urgently convene the Security Council and listen to all services. He also called for a hearing in parliament.
According to him, since 2001, the Bulgarian services “have made no effort” to counteract the Russian special services.
”DANS has been turned into a rest stop. It does not work effectively, especially against a country that has declared us an enemy”, he said.
Atanasov also commented on the acting the chairman of the State Security Agency.
„I am not a fan of the president, I think that is publicly known, but I think that the president is one of the most informed people in the country. There is a requirement in the law on the State Security Agency, as well as in the law on the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for the Secretary General, that these positions be occupied by people who are politically neutral. In this particular case, they clearly have enough data that this person, who was proposed by the Prime Minister and temporarily appointed by a government decision, is politically dependent“, he commented.
Atanasov also commented on the tension surrounding the appointment of leaders in the “Security“ sector. According to him, the process often turns into a “hostage exchange“ between the institutions.
„What happened with the appointment of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was practically a hostage exchange situation. I likened it this way. You will sign me for the head of the National Security Service, so that I will sign you for the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. That is exactly what happened. And there cannot be such a barter and such bargaining. It is for this reason that I believe that the Prime Minister should request a hearing in parliament of the candidates he proposes for these positions, so that through this publicity it can be known what qualities are being proposed.“
The “Pascal“ case and criticism of the prosecutor's office
General Atanasov stated that the case with the smuggler Nikola Nikolov - Pascal is an “operational combination“ with political goals.
“The words smuggling, Assen Vassilev and Boyko Rashkov are connected in one sentence. This was done intentionally“, he pointed out.
According to him, such smuggling channels cannot exist for 30 years without high-level patronage.
Atanasov confirmed that his coalition is preparing a vote of no confidence against the government.
“The majority seems stable. Our goal is to highlight the defects in the government. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov is a “straw man“, implementing decisions made in a parallel center of power – GERB and DPS - New Beginning“, he said.