Thursday night's arrest of opposition GERB party leader and former prime minister Boyko Borissov was Bulgaria's story of the day on Friday. Other confirmed targets who were also detained were former finance minister Vladislav Goranov and former government PR officer Sevdelina Arnaudova, who is currently Media Adviser for GERB.
Borissov was released on Friday night after spending about 24 hours in custody.
The fact that the raids against such prominent figures were conducted at night and for vague reasons, with no charges pressed, and the circumstance that a three-time prime minister had to spend a night (and the following day) in a detention facility, sparked protests spearheaded by GERB members and supporters, who described the arrests as acts of repression.
An initial announcement by the Interior Ministry linked the raids to the work of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). The allegation was denied by more than one source. It became clear that incumbent Prime Minister Kiril Petkov had been questioned by investigators on Thursday before the search at ex-PM Borissov's home.
The Initial Statement
On Thursday night, the Interior Ministry reported that a large-scale law enforcement operation was underway in connection with 120 cases of the EPPO in Bulgaria. It said searches and seizures were being conducted at many locations. According to the press release, Boyko Borissov, Vladislav Goranov, Sevdelina Arnaudova and former National Assembly Budget and Finance Committee chair Menda Stoyanova were arrested. Later, the report was disproved in the part about Stoyanova, who was at home and learned about her "detention" from the media.
Conditions of Urgency?
Shortly after ex-PM Borissov was detained, his lawyer, Menko Menkov, told the media that the Ministry of Interior had initiated the pre-trial proceedings on Thursday "under conditions of urgency", but in fact the investigation had started on December 10, 2021 on an alert from the civic association BOEC.
Menkov said: "None of the searches had the prior permission of a court. The police authorities carried them out under so-called urgency conditions and now they are obliged to report on their actions to the competent court within 24 hours so that it can decide whether to approve these searches." The lawyer argued that urgency cannot be invoked if the investigation has been going on for three months.
He further noted that no charges were brought against the suspects, that Borissov was sent into 24-hour custody, and the formal reason for the detention is "iznudvane", which can be translated either as "blackmail" or "extortion", but it is not clear who was the target of that, when, how, and for what reasons.
Menkov pointed out that in his opinion neither the EPPO nor European delegated prosecutors are involved in the investigation, and it has nothing to do with EU funds. But Prime Minister Kiril Petkov had something different to say.
PM Petkov Insists EPPO Is Involved
In a video address, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said: "Investigations are currently underway by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, but we will see in the coming days where the Bulgarian prosecuting magistracy stands and whether it will finally side with the Bulgarian people."
The Prime Minister said that the actions of the Ministry of Interior on Thursday night show that no one is above the law in Bulgaria. He pointed out that he himself had been questioned in the case earlier on Thursday. (According to lawyer Menko Menkov, the questioning was conducted in Petkov's capacity as a witness.)
"My job is to give full freedom to all institutions to act in accordance with their legal powers. No one should be afraid of the truth. Only without fear of the untouchables can Bulgaria really change," Petkov said.
GERB-UDF to Work for Early Elections
The GERB-UDF parliamentary group announced in a statement from the rostrum of the National Assembly that they will focus their effort on holding early parliamentary elections. The decision is in response to the "lawlessness" they say reigns in the country and follows former prime minister Borissov's detention.
"The cabinet is betting on circus shows without consideration," GERB-UDF lashed out.
"All of this is being done only to shift, at least for a few days, the focus of public attention," said Daniel Mitov from the rostrum. "Midnight searches and arrests will not decrease inflation, the prices of basic goods and fuels, and the calls for help for Ukraine," he said. "Yes, no one is above the law, but this also applies to those who violate the basic law - the Bulgarian Constitution."
Mitov was apparently alluding to the case of the formerly dual citizenship (Bulgarian and Canadian) of the current Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who became caretaker minister of economy in May 2021 despite the constitutional restriction that ministers can have only Bulgarian citizenship. Political analysts saw the irony in the fact that Petkov's first brief comment on Borissov's detention was: "No one is above the law."
"If the leader of the largest opposition party and former prime minister can fall victim to lawlessness, what is in store for other people?" Mitov asked.
GERB-UDF urged all Bulgarian citizens who hold democratic values to protest, and announced that "as of today, every day, our parliamentary group, through all legal means, will work for early parliamentary elections, which are the only way out of the deadlock."
"Last night there was an assassination attempt on Bulgarian democracy, an attempt was made to destroy a basic consensus in Bulgarian society: the abolition of political violence," Mitov said.
Borissov's Arrest: Soundbites
"I want to congratulate the Ministry of Interior, they are free to act in the direction in which the law allows them. They should not be afraid to do the things they are required by law to do, because this is the only way change can happen in Bulgaria - when the untouchables are no longer above the law. " (Kiril Petkov, Prime Minister)
"I insist on a full, objective, comprehensive investigation in compliance with all the rights of the parties concerned. The Ministry of the Interior has acted within its powers." (Nadezhda Yordanova, Minister of Justice)
"Fake action, political repression. They are trying to break both the leader of the largest opposition party and its members." (Tsveta Karayancheva, GERB)
"We strongly condemn the actions of the Interior Ministry regarding the arrest of the opposition leader last night! These methods are reminiscent of the gloomy times after September 9, 1944, the supposedly forgotten time of communist tricks." (UDF party declaration)
"We understand that the Bulgarian society considers the arrest of Mr. Borissov as unprecedented. These are normal investigative actions, unlike the arrest of women, handcuffing them and keeping them on the street, on the sidewalk, for hours in front of cameras. That is repression." (Continue the Change party declaration)
"Finally, action is being taken, which I think is a good step. There is no repression." (Assen Vassilev, Continue the Change party)
"I did not interfere in the work of law enforcement agencies. But justice has not prevailed until the court has ruled." (Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria)
"The BSP will continue to be the guarantor of democracy in the country. With the new government, Bulgaria has made it clear that corruption will not be tolerated." (Bulgarian Socialist Party declaration)
"For us, GERB's rule under Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was behind the scenes, a parallel state." (Korneliya Ninova, Bulgarian Socialist Party)
"The MRF will not be Mr. Borissov's lawyer, but will defend anyone who has been repressed or prosecuted illegally. It is not empty words for us that everyone is innocent until proven otherwise." (Movement for Rights and Freedoms declaration)
"It is hypocrisy when a person, who has been proven to be a violator of the Constitution, says that no one is above the law." (Mustafa Karadayi, Movement for Rights and Freedoms)
Street Protest
Members and supporters of the GERB party and GERB-UDF MPs gathered to protest in front of the Council of Ministers building on Friday, demanding Boyko Borissov's immediate release from custody and accusing the Interior Ministry of police arbitrariness.
The crowd chanted Borissov's name and demanded the resignation of the current government. The police were cordoning off the area.
Earlier in the day activists supporting Borissov had gathered in front of the General Directorate National Police, where Borissov spent the night.
GERB's Deputy Chairman Tomislav Donchev said in front of the protesters: "Allowing the arrest of an opposition leader is harder to imagine than arresting the prime minister. The voice that has to ask the inconvenient questions, that has to find flaws in power, is in police custody. Is this a democracy? We are here today to show that we are not afraid. The more they hit us, the stronger we will become."
Donchev described Borissov's arrest as an attempt to clamp down on the opposition. According to him, the Interior Ministry is used by the ruling coalition for "subtle political schemes".
Former culture minister Vezhdi Rashidov noted that Borissov has been investigated and has been testifying for a year now and no evidence has been found against him.
Prosecutors Give Details
After hours of speculation about the details of the case, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCPO) said early on Friday afternoon that it had been informed, per the Ministry of Interior Act, about the 24-hour-remand of Boyko Borissov, Vladislav Goranov and Sevdelina Arnaudova.
An investigating officer from General Directorate National Police also told the SCPO that pre-trial proceedings were initiated on Thursday. The first act in the proceedings was witness questioning, followed by searches and seizures at multiple locations. The pre-trial proceedings were initiated in response to a criminal offence, allegedly committed between 2014 and December 2019.
"The information issued by the Ministry of Interior about initiated pre-trial proceedings and the legal classification specified make the European Public Prosecutor's Office jurisdiction irrelevant to this case, despite the initial press release from the Ministry of Interior suggesting otherwise. So far, the case has not been filed with the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office," the SCPO said.
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