site.btaProsecution Service Starts Check against Interior Minister over Pressure Reported by MP and Two Interior Ministry Representatives

The prosecution service received reports from an MP and two representatives of the Interior Ministry alleging pressure exerted by the caretaker Interior Minister, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office (SCPO) announced on Tuesday.

On Monday, a complaint, alleging institutional pressure and "direct interference in the objective work" of Interior Ministry bodies involved in the investigation in the pre-trial proceedings that have become publicly known as the Petrohan-Okolchitsa case was submitted by an MP in the 51st National Assembly to the SCPO. The registered report was assigned to a supervising prosecutor on the principle of random selection, the prosecution said.

Later on Monday, the SCPO received complaints from two senior Interior Ministry officials alleging pressure by the caretaker Interior Minister. Due to the similarity of the allegations, the reports were added to the preliminary probe opened in connection with the first complaint.

The supervising prosecutor started a probe into the reports, as the SCPO is obliged to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of a crime when it is notified of such allegations, the prosecution explained in the statement.

The preliminary probe has been assigned to the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) to the Interior Ministry, in accordance with the provisions of current Bulgarian legislation, the statement said.

Earlier on Tuesday, speaking to Bulgarian National Radio, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said that the prosecution had ordered a preliminary probe against him. Dechev explained that he had been informed of the probe by the leadership of the GDCOC and added that he was ready to provide full cooperation. The caretaker minister denied exerting pressure on law-enforcers investigating the case. He said that he had met with a colleague working on the case in order to familiarize himself with it.