Bulgaria’s National Assembly has scheduled an extraordinary sitting for Wednesday to examine the circumstances surrounding the 2022 presidential pardon of convicted drug dealer Ognyan Atanasov by then vice president Iliana Iotova, according to information published on Parliament’s website.
The sitting was requested by Continue the Change MP Assen Vassilev and a group of MPs.
The agenda contains a single item: a hearing of officials and other individuals who may have information relevant to Atanasov’s pardon.
Those named include the Director General of the General Directorate for Execution of Sentences, Chief Commissioner Ivaylo Yordanov; the current head of Sofia Prison, Senior Commissioner Svetoslav Penov; Vasil Kordev, who headed the prison in November and December 2022; and the head of the Directorate’s unit responsible for medical care in prisons.
The request also proposes hearing the doctor who prepared or signed the medical assessment used in the pardon procedure, the Chair of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the chair of the Presidential Pardons Commission, the Interior Ministry’s Secretary General, the Director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the Director of the specialized hospital at Sofia Prison.
The proposed hearing concerns the preparation, verification and submission of medical assessments and information about Atanasov’s conduct in connection with his pardon under Decree No. 119 of December 5, 2022.
MPs also want to examine how an incident dated November 16, 2022, was documented, allegations of possible pressure and threats against doctors and their relatives, the exchange of information with the presidential institution, possible links between Atanasov and SANS or the Interior Ministry, and checks carried out in connection with the case.
Atanasov, sentenced in Greece to 15 years in prison for drug-related offences, had served five years when Iliana Iotova, then Vice President under President Rumen Radev, pardoned him on December 5, 2022, leaving 10 years of his sentence unserved. According to the Presidency, the pardon followed a review by a seven-member commission and was based on a medical assessment of his deteriorating health. His sentence had already been suspended for two years on health grounds.
The case has attracted renewed scrutiny following reports of video footage showing Atanasov involved in an altercation at the Sofia Prison hospital on November 16, 2022, shortly before his pardon. The footage has raised questions about the medical assessment on which the pardon was based.
On October 16, Continue the Change Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov said signatures had been collected to request another extraordinary sitting on the case.
According to Denkov, the request was supported by Democratic Bulgaria and GERB-UDF, while Vazrazhdane MPs did not sign it.
An extraordinary sitting on October 13 failed to proceed because Parliament did not achieve a quorum.
Opposition representatives accused the governing parties of avoiding scrutiny and shielding President Iliana Iotova.
Progressive Bulgaria representatives said they were familiar with Atanasov’s medical assessment and maintained that he suffered from life-threatening illnesses.
MPs to Hold Extraordinary Sitting on Ognyan Atanasov Pardon Wednesday 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-20 11:48:29
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