site.btaFormer Prosecutor General Geshev Wants GERB Leader Borissov Questioned

The questioning of former prosecutor general Ivan Geshev in the National Investigation Service (NIS) lasted one hour. After it, he commented to the media that the subject was the explosion that went off next to his car on May 1, 2023. “They informed me that they would not question [GERB leader] Borissov and [outgoing Deputy Prime Minister] Gabriel as I insisted,” Geshev said, adding that he had asked for a direct face-to-face meeting with Boyko Borissov. "I suspect that he is behind my assassination attempt," the former prosecutor general pointed out.

Geshev said he will continue to push for Borissov to be questioned.  

On May 1, 2023, an explosion went off near the car of then Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev. Later, members of the Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) proposed his early dismissal from the post. The motion described the circumstances surrounding the initial investigation into the blast near Geshev's vehicle.

“The formal reason is probably some questioning, the real reason is called Boyko Borissov,” Geshev said. In his words, he directly refused Borissov to close his Barcelonagate cases. “I explained to him that I am Bulgaria's Prosecutor General, not Boyko Borissov's,” he added. Geshev also pointed out that the assassination attempt against him and his rapid replacement came in response to the Barcelonagate case.

These photos are being released on purpose by the Investigation Service, Ivan Geshev said in connection with the removal of Zhivko Kotsev as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and leaked photos in the public domain. In his words, there are no innocents in this story. He said that the most important thing is not whether there is a smuggling channel or not. The overall picture is a captured judiciary, a replacement at the Customs Agency in order to finance the elections and a replacement of the Interior Ministry's Secretary General to manipulate the upcoming elections, according to Geshev. He said it was clear two years ago that Kotsev had links to "these smugglers". This channel was protected by Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria when they were part of Radev's caretaker government, it is clear that they were protected when Kiril Petkov was in power, Geshev said.

On April 4, the Interior Ministry reported that Kotsev has tendered his resignation as Interior Ministry Secretary General at his own request. A day later, at a joint briefing with former Primer Minister Nikolay Denkov, Kotsev withdrew his resignation. Denkov said that Kotsev resigned as pressure had been exerted over him to do so. A few days later, Denkov referred the Kotsev’s case to prosecutor Daniela Taleva. On April 9, PM Dimitar Glavchev’s caretaker cabinet proposed to President Rumen Radev to decree the termination of the powers of Kotsev as Interior Ministry Secretary General. On April 10, Radev issued a decree terminating the credentials of Kotsev. The Ministry's Deputy Secretary General Dimitar Kangaldzhiev will be acting Secretary General until a successor is appointed for Kotsev's office.