The Prosecutor’s Office is summoning Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Deputy Prime Minister Asen Vassilev and Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov for questioning. The reasons ate the searches and detention of Boyko Borissov, Vladislav Goranov and Sevdelina Arnaudova. Earlier, a statement from the state prosecution told the media that witnesses would be questioned again, as this had been done by an incompetent body.
Iskra.bg managed to contact the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office and asked for more details and confirmation whether Petkov, Rashkov and Vassilev would be summoned for questioning, but we were told that such was not necessary.
A little later, a few minutes ago, a briefing at the GERB headquarters was given by lawyer of former Prime Minister Menko Menkov.
„You know that on March 17 the case was not sent to the Prosecutor’s Office, but to the Interior Minister and he forwarded it to the GDNP. They then had to be referred to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office so that it could decide whether there was evidence of pre-trial proceedings. Instead, Kiril Petkov was interrogated, which turned the materials into pre-trial proceedings. There have been violations from the beginning, as these are not investigators. According to the Criminal Procedure Code, the investigation of crimes committed by members of the Council of Ministers can be carried out only by investigators. The subsequent personal search and seizure were again carried out under conditions of urgency, which are not available in the law. This is done if there is a danger of destroying and concealing evidence. In practice, such actions are carried out against drug gangs and there is permission from the court to enter his home.“, he said.
Menkov also said that the police authorities themselves did not have the legal opportunity to present the protocols for approval to the court. They must submit them to the relevant prosecutor. In this case, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office is competent, not the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office. But the protocols were presented the next day.
„The Prosecutor’s Office immediately submitted he protocols for approval to the court. But because it is the end of the working day, it is left for Monday. The first was the recusal of a judge, and the second judge ruled after working hours and was announced today. What I have been saying for five days now is that there are two main preconditions without which the court cannot approve these protocols. There is no urgency, as this signal has been checked for several months. Neither Borissov, Arnaudova nor Goranov escaped and hid. They have demonstrated to the authorities their intention to cooperate and left on their own in December. In addition, there are no testimonies of Vasil Bozhkov in the pre-trial proceedings. There is no way to influence him, as he has been in the UAE for two years. And last but not least, the lack of competence, which is a very serious thing. I have no doubt that these circumstances were known to all participants in these actions.„, said the lawyer.
We remind you that the case against Borissov, which is already in the Prosecutor’s Office, is for blackmailing businessman Vasil Bozhkov. He, for his part, claims that he was asked for 10% of his lottery winnings. There were both videos and photos of the case. One of them showed Bozhkov leaving an envelope with unclear contents. He claims it was a bribe. Borissov, for his part, pulled the envelope in question.
The extortion was in the period 2014-2019.
The case was filed yesterday. The first act was the questioning of a witness. Seizures and searches followed.
Great damage was caused by the extortion. It was carried out in complicity with an official.
