Peter Petrov-Evroto intended to pour acid on me. This is what Sofia city prosecutor Iliana Kirilova told Maria Tsantsarova in the bTV studio.
„I have known Petar Petrov since 1995-1996, then he was a prosecutor. I have not communicated with him for many years. I have explained a moment in my personal life, when I met him after a long break,”, she explained.
According to her, Petar Petrov-the Euro cannot influence her. “What I do know is that he intended to douse me with acid. As far as I know, an interrogation of Lyubena Pavlov came out – that's where I learned”, prosecutor Kirilova explained.
She doesn't feel threatened and has never felt threatened, but the acid thing was news to her as well.
„Witnesses often change their testimony in court. This prevents the prosecution from maintaining its indictment. There are two cases that have not yet been concluded. I am questioned in both cases, she said when asked about her frequent visits to the Eight Dwarfs.
The role of Nikolina Angelkova
„The role of Nikolina Angelkova is yet to be clarified. She has no memory of this thing. A facial identification examination is to be done, whether the person – whether she is in the picture or not. She doesn't recognize herself”, said the prosecutor and added that she expects Angelkova to voluntarily talk about the photo in the car where Kotsev is showing her watch.
„If the examination confirms that it is her in the photo, I am concerned that she may have memory problems. I can't say”, she further clarified.
The pictures with the poodle and the tutus
„There is a prohibition against prosecutors commenting on any evidence that has been collected under a more special order. The place where they should be presented is in court”, said prosecutor Kirilova regarding the scandalous photos with the poodle and the wads of money that were leaked to the media.
She also comments on who released the photos and witness statements in question into the public space. “This is a question that has been on the agenda for quite some time. It cannot be answered unequivocally. The materials in one case go through many people. Second – when a case comes to court, the lawyers have the right to see it, and it is very unpleasant, especially for the prosecutor's office, because there is a tendency to “disguise“ of these people, as the media express it, she explained.
According to her, the very leak of these photos violates investigative secrecy, but she is adamant that “the prosecutor's office does not have such a task – to smear people”. The prosecutor's office at this stage has not self-reported, it was clear from her words.
„The narrative that he himself can build from these photos is according to his own perception. Is this possible or not? Do these persons in the photos have the necessary morals or is this an action of the prosecution, which aims to discredit them? This is a matter of perception”, prosecutor Kirilova also explained.
The accusations against Zhivko Kotsev
According to her, “if it is proven that the persons in the photos are exactly them, the supervising prosecutors should check when they were taken, on what occasion and whether the people are related to each other”. She is adamant that the role of the former Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in this organized criminal group is yet to be clarified, if there really is such a connection.
„He has been charged with participating in an organized criminal group. 50 people have been interrogated, but more interrogations are to come in this case, which should give more details on the possible role of the former chief secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, she added.
Prosecutor Kirilova clarified that she has known Zhivko Kotsev since 1994. According to her, it cannot be denied that he has a good career. “From the leaked interrogation, it is understood that he did it out of loyalty to his former superiors and current friends – this is what i saw. At this stage, there is clarity, but there is no way to share it, because Mr. Kotsev should not learn about it from the media”, she also pointed out.