site.btaEuropean Parliament's S&D Call on Bulgarian, EU Justice to Cast Light over Shady Affairs from Ex-PM Borissov's Years in Power

The European Parliament's Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) issued a statement on Monday, calling on Bulgarian and EU justice to cast light over the many shady affairs from Bulgarian ex-prime minister Boyko Borissov's years in power. 

Borissov was detained by police on Thursday evening in connection with numerous cases of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bulgaria, only to be released from custody the following day without any charges pressed against him. 

The S&D's statement says that the president of the European Parliament’s committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, has met on Monday with the Bulgarian Minister of Justice, Nadezhda Yordanova. They discussed the rule of law crisis in Bulgaria over the last years. According to them, there are too many questions that need answers, especially now when the EPPO confirms it has received reports from Bulgaria highlighting serious allegations of fraud concerning EU funds and systematic corruption involving top officials. Mr. López Aguilar and Minister Yordanova agreed there were too many cases that raise concerns in Bulgarian society and that undermine the belief of Bulgarian citizens in the achievements of democracy.

López Aguilar said he trusts the European Public Prosecutor’s Office will do its part of the job, but also counts on the Bulgarian judicial system. "They have to complement each other in the best interests of our citizens," adding that the European Parliament has been a vocal critic to what has been going on in Bulgaria for the last 10 years during the period Boyko Borissov was Prime Minister. Bulgarians count on an independent judiciary in their own country to cast a light on all of this in compliance with all procedural guarantees. This includes respect for judicial independence, due process of law, presumption of innocence, right to be informed, access to a lawyer and access to judicial remedies, enshrined by the EU Charter and EU Legislation. Mr. Borissov should be able to answer the questions of the investigating authorities and I hope he will collaborate with the investigations going on in Bulgaria, he said.

Petar Vitanov, S&D MEP and Head of the Bulgarian delegation in the S&D Group, said that for many years, Boyko Borissov and his party GERB have been misleading Bulgarians by claiming that he and his party have the unconditional support of the EU institutions and the European People’s Party (EPP), which has had disastrous consequences for the rule of law in Bulgaria. "And our colleagues from the EPP turned a blind eye to this over the past 10 years. There is a lot to do to restore the trust of Bulgarians and our European partners in the rule of law in our country. Bulgaria is on the right track and we need more light on the years Boyko Borissov was in power."

Also on Monday, the group of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament announced that it is urgently sending representatives to Sofia to get acquainted with the data related to the detention of GERB leader Boyko Borissov. The chair of the EP's Committee on Budgetary Control, Monika Hohlmeier, and MEP Jeroen Lenaers, representing the EPP group in the parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs are coming to Sofia. The two requested meetings with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov and Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev.