site.btaUPDATED European Public Prosecutor Seeks to Lift Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk’s Immunity

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced on Monday in plenary in Strasbourg that the European Public Prosecutor's Office had asked her to lift the immunity of Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk from the Renew Europe group.

"The European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs made a proposal, after which the European Public Prosecutor's Office requested that Ilhan Kyuchyuk's immunity be lifted. This request will be forwarded to the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs," Metsola said at the start of the last plenary session of the European Parliament for 2025.

She did not provide details on the reasons for the request to waive Kyuchyuk's immunity.

The Bulgarian politician is serving as Co-President of the ALDE party. In the European Parliament, Kyuchyuk currently chairs the Committee on Legal Affairs. He was elected chair in July 2024.

“To my great astonishment, I was informed a few days ago of a request for lifting my parliamentary immunity,” Kyuchyuk said in statement on Sunday, a day ahead of the Parliament’s plenary in Strasbourg.

“The reason for this is a complaint that, in my opinion, aims to cast doubt on my name, my reputation, and the trust I have earned over the years from both citizens and institutions,” he added.

To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Kyuchyuk said he would step aside from handling his own case, temporarily handing the chair to a vice-chair. “I do believe I have done nothing wrong. I intend to cooperate fully and constructively with the competent authorities,” he said.