Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General, Ivan Geshev, said on May 15 that he would not bow to pressure and resign, accusing politicians of interfering in the prosecution’s work.
The Prosecutor General of Bulgaria plans to continue his mandate until the end
Update 26 never, now 9.30. On Thursday, the Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM) admitted for examination the proposal to revoke the chief prosecutor, accused of seriously damaging the prestige of the judicial system.
Ivan Geshev was named by his deputy Borislav Sarafov as the author of the illegal recording of his conversation with the member of the Prosecutor’s College Yordan Stoev. In addition, Geshev is charged with unlawful interference with the investigation into the explosion near his armored limousine.
The chief prosecutor denies all allegations, claiming that he received the recording from a female prosecutor’s office and that he was on leave at the time of the explosion. Therefore, he had no way to intervene in the investigation.
The Judicial Council did not accept his claims and decided to start the procedure that could lead to the dismissal of Ivan Geshev. A majority of 14 votes “for” was obtained, and three members of the Judicial Council continued to support Geshev and were “against”.
This majority will be sufficient to dismiss the chief prosecutor, but only after the adoption of the judicial reform, which is currently being examined by the National Assembly.
Initial news:
Geshev demonstratively tore up what he said was his resignation letter during a news conference and repeatedly said he intended to stay in office for the full seven-year term. He was sworn in as Attorney General in December 2019.
A motion to dismiss Geshev as Bulgaria’s Prosecutor General was submitted to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) last week, but it claimed that the signatories were pressured to do so.
The SCJ has twice previously rejected motions to impeach Geshev by justice ministers from separate governments, but the latest motion comes amid broad political support for Geshev’s impeachment.
Geshev suggests that Borissov is behind the pressure to resign
Geshev himself has repeatedly hinted that former Prime Minister Boiko Borissov is behind political pressure to remove him from office, saying the “media campaign” against him began after he refused to resign in exchange for appointment of ambassador.
Speaking to reporters later in the day, Borissov denied the allegations, saying he was unable to offer ambassadorships and asked why Geshev was focusing on Borissov’s party, GERB, in his criticism.
Geshev also accused one of his deputies, Borislav Sarafov, who distanced himself from the prosecutor general in the past week, as one of the main promoters of the attempt to remove Geshev from office.
He said he expects Sarafov to tender his resignation as head of the National Investigative Service, making him an ex-officio deputy prosecutor general, or Geshev will file a motion to dismiss him at the SCM.
