Balgarianovinite.com “I want to assure the Bulgarian prosecution service that under my leadership, the Interior Ministry and its officers will not break the law under any circumstances,” Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told journalists in Belitsa, responding to a position issued by the prosecution service.
The prosecution service said that any public “warnings” by a government minister to prosecutors and administrative heads within the prosecution service were unacceptable. The position came in response to remarks by Demerdzhiev. On Thursday, August 20, the Interior Minister said that the Sofia City Prosecution Office had opened an investigation into whether officers of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) had exceeded their powers while conducting checks on a person with immunity.
“When, after many years of inaction, we begin checking people whom we call, not without reason, symbols of the oligarchy in Bulgaria, the prosecution service, instead of assisting us and explaining what it has been doing during all those years of inaction, turns around and – take note – extremely quickly and with enormous intensity investigates whether, in carrying out these checks, any Interior Ministry officer exceeded their powers,” Demerdzhiev said.
“Let the Bulgarian prosecution service know that we will investigate both [Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader] Delyan Peevski and [GERB leader] Boyko Borissov,” the Interior Minister said, adding that many other people would also be subject to checks.
“We will investigate anyone for whom there is evidence suggesting that a crime has been committed,” Demerdzhiev said. Instead of taking issue with the Interior Ministry’s actions, the prosecution service should take issue with its own inaction, he argued. He cited a recent case in Kardzhali, where, according to him, prosecutors and investigators saw no urgency in seizing documents that were at risk of being destroyed or concealed and were related to alleged public procurement abuses.
Demerdzhiev said the Interior Ministry recognized that effective law enforcement required the competent authorities to work in coordination, but argued that the problem did not lie with his Ministry. For effective cooperation between the two institutions, the prosecution service should begin “performing its duties as required by law,” he said.
The Minister also cited the case of Hristo Shirokov, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms’ regional chair in Burgas, on the Black Sea. According to Demerdzhiev, the case materials took a week to reach Burgas from Sofia, after which four prosecutors recused themselves. He said the positive development was that a fifth prosecutor eventually took the case, found grounds to bring charges against those concerned and consider measures of restraint, after which Shirokov was detained.
“Proceedings are being delayed, actions are hesitant and far too slow – nowhere near as swift as in the proceedings concerning whether Delyan Peevski’s rights were violated in some way,” Demerdzhiev said. He called for the “same energy, strength and intensity” devoted to that investigation to be applied to all other proceedings, saying that in such a case he would have no reason to criticize the prosecution service.
Demerdzhiev also said every effort would be made for the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to help change the situation, as well as to hold an election for the SJC Inspectorate. Interior Minister Demerdzhiev Says Ministry, Officers Will Not Break Law under His Leadership 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-21 17:19:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law