Deputy chief prosecutor Sarafov filed a signal against chief prosecutor Geshev

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office received a signal from Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov against Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, the state prosecution told BNT on May 16.

In the alert, the deputy prosecutor general and director of the National Investigation Service alleged that the prosecutor general had committed three crimes.

The first allegation, according to Sarafov, is that Ivan Geshev illegally recorded a conversation with SJC member Yordan Stoev, using a special technical device.

The second is for an offence committed in his official capacity, related to the use of the training centre of the Prosecutor's Office in Borovets winter resort as a "personal residence".

The third allegation is for a crime against justice, as the signal alleges that Ivan Geshev influenced the supervising prosecutor in the investigation known as "Barcelonagate". Borislav Sarafov points to Ivan Geshev's statement yesterday as support for this allegation, claiming that the Prosecutor General himself made such statements.

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On the day of the explosion (May 1) near the armoured car of the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev, Sarafov explained that the bomb packed with shrapnel was intended to kill Geshev, not to intimidate, and only because of a happy coincidence he was unhurt. The Deputy Prosecutor General also said his boss was in the car with his family, but that turned out to have been a misunderstanding. These misunderstandings have caused frictions between the Prosecutor General and his deputy Borislav Sarafov, with the latter blaming the former for the misunderstandings and for failing to clear them up publicly.

Later, however, during parliamentary scrutiny, caretaker Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev said that Prosecutor General Geshev was only with his bodyguard and driver in the car. According to the minister, Geshev uses the most protected car available to the state, more protected even than the President’s. Demerdzhiev also pointed out that the explosion only damaged the headlight of Geshev’s car.

After caretaker minister’s statement, Geshev spoke for the first time six days after the accident, placing the blame for the conflicting information on deputy Prosecutor General, Sarafov.

Deputy Prosecutor General and head of National Investigative Service, Borislav Sarafov, explained in a position that he was misled when he said that Geshev's family were in the car.

"Being aware of the interest of the Bulgarian public in the case of the explosion near the car of the Prosecutor General, I would like to provide clarification in order to stop manipulations on the subject," Sarafov said.

He clarified what he had said at the briefing on May 1, that "it was a fluke that the Prosecutor General, his family and a number of other people passing through the area were intact", as he was misled by Ivan Geshev's words that "he was worried about his children".

Sarafov said that he sincerely regrets if he has created the wrong idea that Geshev's family was travelling with him. He noted that a more careful inspection of the events would reveal with accuracy who was travelling in the car at the time of the incident.