site.btaPeevski Joins Karadayi as Co-Floor Leader of Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Delyan Peevski has become co-floor leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), as reported on the National Assembly website. Peevski now shares this position with Mustafa Karadayi.

In addition to co-chairing the MRF Parliamentary Group, Peevski is a member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Committee on Legal Affairs in the 49th National Assembly. The co-chairmanship gives him the opportunity and legitimacy to participate in the chairmen's council meetings at the National Assembly, which determine Parliament's agenda.

Lena Borislavova, former chef de cabinet to Kiril Petkov while he was prime minister (2021-2022), told the Bulgarian National Radio on October 13 that Peevski's recent increasing public appearances as a spokesman for the ruling majority could be explained with his desire to provoke. She said: "He is provoking those supporters of Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change, who for years have been against GERB's rule with the MRF. [...] Neither GERB nor the MRF are interested in making a government dominated by Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change look good on the eve of local elections".

On June 2, 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Peevski for his extensive role in corruption in Bulgaria. OFAC described him as "an oligarch who previously served as a Bulgarian MP and media mogul and has regularly engaged in corruption, using influence peddling and bribes to protect himself from public scrutiny and exert control over key institutions and sectors in Bulgarian society. In September 2019, Peevski actively worked to negatively influence the Bulgarian political process in the October 27, 2019, municipal elections. Peevski negotiated with politicians to provide them with political support and positive media coverage in return for receiving protection from criminal investigations."

Peevski has filed a lawsuit in a US court, demanding his removal from the Magnitsky list. His lawyers argue that there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by his client and that the US administration has so far failed to provide such evidence to his lawyers, despite repeated requests to do so. The position of his legal representatives is that this is a substantial violation, which makes the sanction unlawful and violates Peevski's right to a defence.