Facts and circumstances that became known to Academician Nikolay Denkov during the performance of his official duties as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, give rise to reasonable doubts about the possible commission of a crime by I.F. chief prosecutor Mr. Borislav Sarafov. On this occasion, based on an oral and written report by Mr. Zhivko Kotsev, the Prime Minister today reported to Prosecutor Daniela Taleva and officially informed the Minister of Justice Atanas Slavov, the Government Information Service reported.
According to Mr. Kotsev, on 04/03/2024, he was psychologically pressured to resign from his position as Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Mr. Kotsev states that he was threatened that if he did not resign, he would be charged with a serious crime and detained.
The pressure was applied by i.f. chief prosecutor Borislav Sarafov, with the participation of the administrative head of the SGP prosecutor Iliana Kirilova and in the presence of her deputy Hristo Krastev, as well as the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Anton Slavchev.
Subsequently, late in the evening of the same day, pressure was also exerted on Mr. Kotsev to resign by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Kalin Stoyanov, who provided him with a pre-prepared application with this content and insisted on his immediate signing.
As it became clear from a statement by Zhivko Kotsev at the end of last week, as a result of his disappointment with the system due to the significant pressure exerted, he initially decided to sign the resignation. But after this resignation began to be cited as an argument for the appointment of Mr. Kalin Stoyanov as Minister of Internal Affairs in the caretaker government and that for additional “motivation” for Mr. Kotsev to withdraw, a massive campaign of professional and personal discredit was undertaken through “leaked” materials in the media, he changes his mind and remains in office.
Prime Minister Denkov calls on Prosecutor Taleva to establish all the facts and circumstances as to whether there is a crime committed by the above-mentioned persons, pointing out several questions to which he believes that answers should be found:
1. Was a meeting held between the i.f. chief prosecutor Borislav Sarafov, the administrative head of the SGP prosecutor Iliyana Kirilova and in the presence of her deputy Hristo Krastev, as well as the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Anton Slavchev and the chief secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Zhivko Kotsev on 04/03/2024?
2. If such a meeting actually took place, what was its purpose and why are the representatives of all these institutions jointly holding meetings with the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Pursuant to which of their statutory powers and on which basis? According to the latest amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, i.f. chief prosecutor Mr. Borislav Sarafov is only the administrative head of the VKP, which raises the question why and in what capacity he personally attended this meeting?
3. Why was Mr. Zhivko Kotsev's home searched on the day of the meeting, and is there a connection between the above-described meeting and the search of Mr. Kotsev's home? 4. Who organized and coordinated the representatives of all these institutions to participate in this meeting and were there any third parties involved, including politicians who contacted these individuals to organize the meeting? 5. Was there a meeting between Kalin Stoyanov and Zhivko Kotsev on the evening of 04/03/2024? How did Kalin Stoyanov know that Zhivko Kotsev would resign and who prepared a resignation letter filled with Mr. Kotsev's personal data before this meeting? 6. Was pressure and/or coercion exerted on Mr. Kotsev by the above-mentioned officials, and if so - for what purpose? Are there third parties, incl. politicians who demanded these actions from these persons?The Minister of Justice requested from the Inspectorate of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJSC) and the Supreme Prosecutorial Council (SPC) to carry out a full investigation to establish the facts, and possibly bring about disciplinary responsibility for the mentioned administrative heads in the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria.< /p>