Speaker of Parliament Michaela Dotsova arrived at the Military Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the case involving Sonya Koltuklieva. She said she had been summoned to give evidence about the incident in which the journalist was injured following a physical altercation with an employee of the National Security Service.
Asked about the opposition’s demand that she resign, Dotsova did not say whether she was considering such a step. Instead, she pointed out what she believes are Parliament’s immediate tasks.
“The election of members of the Supreme Judicial Council from Parliament’s quota is currently on the parliamentary agenda, and we are also expecting the Council of Ministers to submit the draft budget for 2027.”Dotsova declines to comment on the NSS’s actions
The Speaker of Parliament refused to assess whether NSS officers had made a mistake during the incident. “I am not a supervisory body of the NSS, so I cannot comment. They work according to protocols. As far as I know, there is an internal investigation,” she said.
Dotsova added that she could not comment on the way the officers had performed their duties. Asked whether the head of the NSS should be dismissed, she said that Parliament was not involved in the procedure for appointing and dismissing the head of the service and therefore would not express an opinion.
The incident took place on October 22
The case referred to the Military Prosecutor’s Office took place on October 22 in front of the headquarters of “Progressive Bulgaria” in Sofia. Sonya Koltuklieva attempted to ask Michaela Dotsova a question by opening the door of the official vehicle in which the Speaker of Parliament was seated. Following the intervention of an NSS officer, the journalist fell onto the pavement and was taken to the Military Medical Academy.
Following the incident, the National Security Service ordered an internal investigation, while the Military Prosecutor’s Office was notified about the case. The incident prompted political reactions and calls for responsibility to be assumed. President Iliyana Iotova condemned the guard’s conduct and said she would demand the resignation of NSS chief Emil Tonev, who subsequently resigned.
Sources: focus-news.net