Balgarianovinite.com The European Parliament Tuesday decided not to waive the immunity of Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk following a recommendation by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs. The decision was made following a request from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in connection with an investigation into the alleged misuse of funds from the European Union budget.
The Legal Affairs Committee’s report, which recommends maintaining Kyuchyuk’s immunity, was adopted by a show of hands.
According to the report, the charges against Kyuchyuk are not related to opinions he has expressed or votes he has cast in his capacity as a MEP. Therefore, the case does not fall within the scope of functional parliamentary immunity. At the same time, the Committee acknowledges that there are enough objective grounds to believe that, in this specific case, there may be what is known as fumus persecutionis – a suspicion that the criminal proceedings are motivated by intentions to undermine the MEP’s political activities and the independence of the European Parliament.
The report further notes that the investigation was conducted under the supervision of the Bulgarian European Prosecutor, who was subsequently suspended and later found guilty of a serious disciplinary violation by the College of the EPPO. The Committee maintains that this, combined with the context in which the investigation began, the lack of sufficient detail regarding the alleged crimes, as well as the significant consequences for Kyuchuk’s reputation, raises serious doubts about the motives for initiating the proceedings.
The Committee also notes that during the proceedings, it took into account the domestic political situation in Bulgaria and within the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, as well as allegations that Kyuchyuk had been the target of political attacks in connection with his positions within the party and his nomination to chair the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs. The document further notes that he had been subjected to numerous anti-corruption investigations in Bulgaria, none of which found any violations.
The request to waive his immunity was submitted by the European Chief Prosecutor on November 24, 2025, in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of EU funds. According to the allegations, Kyuchyuk’s local associates worked in offices managed by a political party, with a large portion of the expenses for their activities covered by the party rather than the MEP. The investigation covers a period of more than ten years. European Parliament Rejects Request to Waive Bulgarian MEP’s Immunity 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-07 14:54:55 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