site.btaUPDATED Interior Ministry Secretary General Defends Career and Integrity after Removal Proposal

Miroslav Rashkov on Wednesday categorically rejected all reasons cited for his proposed removal as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. He made the statement from the parliamentary rostrum during a hearing of the caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev and heads of departments in the Ministry of Interior, following reports of alleged pressure exerted by the Minister regarding the Petrohan-Okolchitsa case in which six people lost their lives.

Secretary General Rashkov declared: "I stand on the highest rostrum in Bulgaria in my capacity as a Bulgarian police officer and a professional with a 20-year career in the Ministry of Interior. For me, the profession of police officer is a symbol of courage and dedication for the benefit of citizens and society."

Rashkov said he wished to express his "serious concerns regarding the future of the Petrohan investigation and the assurance of objectivity in uncovering the full truth."

On February 23, Interior Minister Dechev said at a briefing at the Council of Ministers that he had proposed Rashkov's dismissal.

Despite being warned by the chair of the sitting, Nikoleta Kuzmanova, that he was straying from the subject of the hearing, Rashkov continued to comment on the motives behind the request for his resignation in response to a question from Toshko Yordanov, chair of the parliamentary group of There Is Such a People.

Regarding the local elections in Pazardzhik a year ago, the Interior Ministry’s Secretary General said that operational headquarters had been convened and the relevant action plans had been drawn up.

Another reason cited for seeking his resignation concerned police actions to guarantee public order and the life and health of protesters in the autumn of 2025, he said, providing details about security arrangements for the December 1 protest. According to him, the Sofia Municipality had not coordinated the holding of the march on that day. It had been assessed that there was a high likelihood of public order violations, Rashkov noted. Law enforcement authorities had called for the event to proceed peacefully and had held meetings with the organizers. A total of 75 people were detained, 23 of whom were known to the Interior Ministry, he said, stressing that there had not been a single seriously injured civilian during the protest.

From the outset of the Petrohan Case, numerous comments appeared in the public space involving individuals and non-governmental organizations linked to a particular political circle, Rashkov said. For that reason, and in order to preserve the objective course of the investigation and ensure equal treatment of all proposed versions, he had refrained from providing public information on the case.

Rashkov also informed MPs that his deputy, Yavor Serafimov, whose resignation had also been requested by Emil Dechev, is currently in hospital. The Secretary General disclosed that on February 10 Serafimov had been admitted for surgery. After being discharged, he submitted a medical certificate, and the diagnosis "does not concern a meniscus," Rashkov said. Following complications, the deputy Secretary General was readmitted to hospital, he added.