Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General presented report on the work of the Prosecutor’s office to the MPs

Unprecedented hearing of the Prosecutor General, Ivan Geshev, took place in the National Assembly on October 15.

For the first time, the Prosecutor General presented a report on the work of the prosecutor’s office in the first 8 months of 2020 at the request of MPs from the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party. He answered MPs' questions for more than 2 hours.

He reported a 95% drop in telephone frauds, a 22% drop in household thefts, a 19% drop in robberies and a 13% drop in motor vehicle fraud.

He also provided information on landmark pre-trial proceedings against businessmen circulated as wanted with a red notice.

Geshev explained that Prime Minister Borissov had been interviewed three times over the audio files and the photos from his bedroom, that were leaked to the media.

Ivan Geshev, Prosecutor General: The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office will investigate anyone who has violated the law, whether he is a police officer or a protester, whether he is a low-income earner or a billionaire, whether he is a minister or an official in junior position, I repeat an official in junior position in the Presidency. And we do not make a difference and we do not have double standards.

The opposition left-wing BSP accused Geshev of hiding behind the statistics in order not to give specific answers.

Kornelia Ninova, BSP: We want your resignation and we will not support the report, because it is a lot of statistics without specific answers to questions of public interest. Aren't the expert assessments on the recordings and the photos ready, on the photos of the drawer with the money that you announced months ago that you were doing. How long does it take to answer the Bulgarian society, are the photos from the Prime Minister's bedroom authentic, is the money in the drawer authentic, is the voice in those recordings authentic, let me not predetermine things, but still I am a lawyer, there is some evidence of a crime.

The ruling GERB party disagreed with the left-wing and called for support for the report.

Desislava Atanasova, GERB: Today in this hall, there have been repeated calls for resignation, I think they will be fruitless. It is not you, dear colleagues, who elect the Prosecutor General, this is what the Supreme Judicial Council does and it twice confirmed his election and this election was legitimised by a decree of the head of state, President Rumen Radev.

Ivan Geshev: The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office will not allow itself to be involved in a political election campaign, we will continue to work. Bulgaria existed before us and will continue to exist after us.

The Parliament adopted the report of the Prosecutor General with 117 votes in favour, 61 against and 1 abstention.