Comment by Alexander Detev:
The predictions that the presidential campaign would start badly not only came true, but also exceeded expectations. Because nothing provokes public disgust like pedophilia and drug trafficking.
"The Petritsch Escobar" and "the Petrokhan Lama"
Iliyana Yotova must be responsible for the pardon of a convicted drug dealer, ten years before he had served his sentence, carried out in 2022. The PP-DB recalled him. The formal reason is his deteriorating health, which represented a “threat to his life”. However, this threat did not stop him from continuing his criminal activities shortly after his release, and in 2025 he was caught with five kilograms of cocaine.
Days later, the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office gave a briefing on the most brutal case that has been worrying the Bulgarian public since the beginning of the year. It was given even though key expert reports on Petrokhan were not ready. The briefing confirmed that Ivaylo Kalushev, according to investigators, killed 22-year-old Nikolay Zlatkov and the 15-year-old boy. Representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the State Prosecutor's Office emphasized the suspicions of pedophilia and suggested that Kalushev had benefited from political patronage. Close to GERB and “Progressive Bulgaria” media and commentators immediately linked him to the PP-DB, trying to discredit the candidate they supported, Andrey Gyurov.
The state is muddy, so is the campaign
Yotova replied that when pardoning the “Petri's Escobar“ Ognyan Atanasov, the procedure was followed and the decision was based on the medical expertise ordered by the Ministry of Justice and the assessment of the Presidential Pardons Commission.
Andrey Gyurov has not commented on the “Petrokhan“ case so far, but there is no evidence that he knew Ivaylo Kalushev or had anything to do with his organization. At the same time, his Minister of Internal Affairs in the official cabinet, Emil Dechev, presented much of the information on “Petrokhan“ and actively worked to unravel the story.
However, the questions remain. The case of “Atanasov“ screams “corruption“. Whether it is in the medical examination, the Pardons Commission or in the decision of the vice president herself must become clear. Because the opposition reminded Yotova of other similar cases.
The case of “Kalushev“ speaks of a cover-up. The suspicions that the people around him worked with the State Agency "National Security", the accusations of those complaining about the speleologist's actions that he was informed about the signals against him prematurely, as well as Borislav Sarafov's unfortunate hints that he was fully aware of what was happening in "Petrokhan", raise several important questions: Why did no institution act if everything that is now being reported was true? Did Kalushev and his entourage cooperate with the services? If so, is that why they turned a blind eye to the actions of their group, which the locals also described as paramilitary? Did they have patrons?
We are looking for the one who is not "in the closet"
It is a public secret that many criminals in Bulgaria pay off so that they do not serve their sentences or even be caught. Some are discovered only after they have died, while supposedly abroad. Others escape through tunnels under restaurants with powerful silencers installed. The criminal world in Bulgaria takes advantage of corruption at all levels of administration and power. The cliché says that this same criminal world has its own state.
It is also a public secret that services, the prosecutor's office and the police in many cases only work when it is convenient for the political situation. Between the conspiracy theories, doubts about foreign interference and the official version of the authorities in the “Petrokhan“ case There are many differences, but there is also one common similarity - the feeling that some on the floors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the services and the prosecutor's office are hiding something.
Iliyana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov are entering a muddy campaign that is only just gaining strength. Both of them must prove that they have nothing to do with this mud. Because many of the politicians in the country are immersed in it.