The investigation of the large-scale case with 227 flights of DPS leader Delyan Peevski entered a new phase after the Ministry of Interior began a thorough investigation for intentional deletion of data and manipulation of internal registers. The scandal was further fueled by the in-person clash between Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev and Constitutional Judge Desislava Atanasova. She categorically denied the information provided by the Ministry of Interior that she had traveled with Peevski on a private plane to Dubai.
Chronology of the clash: What do the parties claim?
The position of the Ministry of Interior: Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced from the parliamentary rostrum that the flight to Dubai took place on April 5, 2024. Later, he explained that the Ministry of Interior's check shows "different markings in different registers and deletions of data". Demerdzhiev warned Atanasova “not to delve too much into the matter“, as there are international databases where the information is duplicated and cannot be manipulated. According to him, there are “many more flights that match in terms of dates and participants“. Atanasova's denial: The constitutional judge came out with an official position in which she defined the Interior Minister's claims as false. According to her own data, the trip in question was an ordinary civilian flight to Istanbul, and not a joint private voyage with the leader of the MRF. Constitutional Court: The President of the Constitutional Court Pavlina Panova confirmed that the institution is already examining the exported data on the joint destinations. However, she specified that the court does not have direct legal mechanisms for disciplinary action in such cases, since there is no adopted Code of Ethics for constitutional judges.Political reactions and investigation “on two sides“
The scandal quickly escalated into an institutional war involving GERB, DPS and the Prosecutor's Office:
Counteroffensive by MRF and GERB: MRF MP and former Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov filed a report with the prosecutor's office against Demerdzhiev. GERB and MRF accused the leadership of the Ministry of Interior of using false reports from the Directorate for the Investigation of the Crimes and Punishments. They demand an investigation into who ordered the search of the international massifs and on what legal basis. GERB leader Boyko Borisov distanced himself, stating that he had nothing to do with Atanasova since the day she was sworn in to the Constitutional Court. The Intervention of the Prosecutor's Office: The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SGP) is already monitoring three files on signals of possible official crimes by employees of the Ministry of Interior and for instigating the Member of Parliament (Peevski). For his part, Demerdzhiev expressed concerns that the prosecutor's office is trying to seize the materials in order to cover up the truth through prolonged inaction. Demands for resignation: Political formations like “Revival“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“ officially requested the resignation of Desislava Atanasova as a constitutional judge.What is currently being investigated?
The main focus of the investigation by the Ministry of Interior and partner services is directed in two directions:
The origin of the money: It is being checked how the 227 flights in question were paid for over a period of 8 years, whether the amounts correspond to the market prices of private charters and whether this is a violation of international sanctions under the global “Magnitsky“ law, under which Peevski is located. "The Moles" in the Ministry of Interior: A complete audit of the information systems of the Border Police and the Directorate for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons is being carried out to establish which employees, when and on whose orders they deleted or changed data in the Bulgarian registers in order to erase traces of travel.
Sources: BNT, BTA, NOVA, Club Z and DW