PM Petkov after release of former PM Borissov from custody: We are once again facing absolute sabotage by the Prosecutor’s Office

Following the release of former PM Boyko Borisoov from custody, Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, and Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov, gave a briefing at the Council of Ministers in the evening on March 18.

We are once again facing absolute sabotage by the Prosecutor’s Office, under the leadership of Chief Prosecutor Mr Geshev. Documents that would lead to charges are being concealed. We can easily get hold of these documents, Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, said.

Petkov's comments came after opposition GERB party leader and former PM Borissov was released from police custody. Borissov, his PR officer Sevdelina Arnaudova and former finance minister Vladislav Goranov were arrested late on Thursday evening and released a day later. After their release, the Prosecutor’s Office said that pressing charges at this moment would be in violation of the law.

According to PM Petkov, the activity of anyone who tries to work against corruption is being hampered. There is no independent Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria; It has once again acted like a lawyer, when people charged with corruption are involved, Petkov said. .

Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov, said that the Prosecutor's Office was drawing conclusions about a proceeding that had just started and in which there had been no time to gather evidence, because the probe was aimed at gathering enough data to decide whether or not to open pre-trial proceedings. Information has also been collected, including from Vassil Bozhkov, signed by him. Instead of the Prosecutor's Office stating to you and the public that it will take action, it tried to announce to everyone that the Ministry of Interior did nothing, Rashkov told the briefing.

There's information that is part of this probe and provided by gambling businessman Vassil Bozhkov (who is currently residing in Dubai and is facing a number of charges in Bulgaria) which he has single-handedly signed, and nobody is claiming that this is a witness testimony, Rashkov said.

According to the Minister of Interior, Bozhkov should be questioned in Dubai about whether he was pressured by Borissov, Arnaudova and Goranov, whether he was threatened to have part of his business taken over and whether he was forced to sell part of his business to foreigners. The Prosecutor’s Office is doing everything necessary to destroy the work done by the Ministry of Interior and to maybe never shed light on whether any of them have committed crimes, he said.

Minister Rashkov said that the investigative police officers waited in front of the offices of the prosecutors on March 18 to be seen, but the latter refused to do so.

Rashkov also said that the Prosecutor's Office briefing was "set up" too late for them not to be able to react, which is why they gave a late press conference. He showed a draft decree requesting charges against Borissov, Goranov and Arnaudova. Something that the Prosecutor’s Office earlier denied having received within today.

The European Prosecutor's Office is also working on this case, now there is a parallel structure which we trust much more, there will be very clear information at EU level on how they act, what decisions they take and what they have done, the PM added.

We will do everything that depends on us so that Bulgaria is a normal, free, European country. The battle has begun, we will work with all the instruments of Europe so that the country can be taken to the next level. I regret that the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office embarrassed itself in this way tonight, Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, added.

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Once considered to be the wealthiest Bulgarian person, Vassil Bozhkov lost his gambling business in early 2020 when Parliament passed the amendments to the Gambling Act thus banning lottery games organised by private operators.

On January 29, 2020, the Prosecutor’s Office pressed charges against gambling businessman Vassil Bozhkov on seven counts and then in February charged him with more, thus the criminal charges against him adding up to 18. He has been charged with evasion of more than 700 million BGN in gambling licensing fees, money laundering, extortion, bribery, murder, abetting in murder, attempted rape, leading an organized crime group, trading in influence, and unlawful possession of cultural assets. The businessman left the country prior to completion of the inquiries and is now in the United Arab Emirates, from where Bulgaria is seeking his extradition.