“The time for a new stage has come“ – with these words, the acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov ended his three-year tenure at the state prosecution, vesti.bg wrote. In an official statement, released immediately after submitting his resignation to the Supreme Judicial Council, he cited the targeted pressure and “smear campaign” to which he was subjected as the main reasons for his act. Sarafov emphasizes that he has postponed his resignation until the moment when the political crisis has found its “successful resolution“, in order to guarantee the professional consolidation of the institution.
Here is the full text of Borislav Sarafov's statement:
STATEMENT
by I.F. Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria
Borislav Sarafov
DEAR PROSECUTORS, INVESTIGATORS AND COURT OFFICERS,
I am writing to inform you that today, before the Prosecutorial College of the Supreme Judicial Council, I withdrew my consent to assume the position of Acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria.
In less than two months, it will be three years since I was assigned to perform the functions of administrative head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria. In June 2023, I assumed this responsibility in an extremely complicated institutional and socio-political environment, marked by tension, erosion of public trust and attempts to involve the Prosecutor's Office in processes outside its constitutional functions.
With a clear awareness of the role of the Prosecutor's Office as a guarantor of legality and public order, I have made consistent efforts for institutional stabilization, professional consolidation and restoration of trust in our activities. With your support, these efforts have borne fruit and today the Prosecutor's Office is in a more sustainable and professional state. This is reflected in the high appreciation and respect that the institution enjoys from its international partners.
I made my decision some time ago, after careful consideration of all legal and institutional consequences. I postponed its announcement in order to prevent further destabilization of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria in the context of a prolonged and severe political crisis, which, I hope, as the majority of Bulgarian citizens demonstrated, has this time found its successful resolution.
Unfortunately, in the past months, the Prosecutor's Office has continued to be subjected to unfounded and unlawful pressure. In addition, I became the subject of a targeted defamatory and compromising campaign. However, I put the interest of the institution, to which I have dedicated more than three decades of my professional career, above all else, and I took on the responsibility to continue performing my functions.
I believe that at present there are prerequisites for a new stage in the development of the prosecutor's office - a stage based on sustainability and predictability.
I sincerely hope that in a short time, the implementation of the long-delayed decisions and elections in the judiciary will begin, while observing the principles of transparency, legality and statesmanship, and unconditionally guaranteeing the independence of Bulgarian magistrates, who are the greatest supporters of the implementation of judicial reform, in which professional criteria and the fulfillment of public expectations for the establishment of the rule of law and the achievement of justice will be the leading ones.
I am convinced that the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria will continue to perform its constitutional functions with the necessary responsibility, consistency and independence. For me, the commitment remains to continue serving the judiciary and the Bulgarian citizens within the framework of the law and my professional duty.
Colleagues, thank you for your professionalism, resilience and support!