Chief Prosecutor orders new checks into property acquisitions by top officials

Bulgaria’s Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has ordered checks into property acquisitions by the Head of the anti-corruption commission, Plamen Georgiev, the son of the National Investigation Service director Borislav Sarafov and the wife of Supreme Court of Cassation head Lozan Panov.

Georgiev on 4^th of April said that he would fully co-operate with the investigation and he would take leave until it was completed, in order to not influence it.

The investigation into the acquisition of an apartment by Panov’s wife in 2013 from Arteks Engineering will be carried out by the Inspectorate of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the National Revenue Agency.

Boyan Magdalinchev from the SJC said the check would include alleged conflict of interest and the origin of the funds. Further checks may be possible, he added.

The investigation into the apartment acquired by the anti-corruption commission head Georgiev will be carried out by the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office and the National Revenue Agency. Documents to be requested include the title deed and the mortgage agreement.

Yesterday, President Rumen Radev dropped his trust in the head of the anti-corruption commission by inviting his deputy to present a report to the Consultative Council on National Security meeting scheduled for Monday, 8th of April.

The check into the apartment acquired by the son of the head of the National Investigation Office, Borislav Sarafov, will be carried out by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the NRA.

Prior to joining a SJC meeting, the Chief Prosecutor was laconic, saying that everything related to the checks was described in the press statement and he would make no further comments until the investigation is over.