site.btaUPDATED Amid GPS Jammer Case, PM Says State Is Moving against People Previously Protected by Police and Security Services

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said here Monday that the State is now moving against people who were previously protected by the police and security services. Radev was commenting on searches and seizures carried out in connection with an investigation into a powerful GPS signal jammer found in Sofia's Dragalevtsi district last weekend.

"Regardless of whether and how the device was discovered, and regardless of whether and how it interfered with air traffic and various electronic systems in Sofia, there is one indisputable fact: while until recently the police and security services were protecting these people, their names are now becoming known," Radev told a news conference at the Council of Ministers.

Here he mentioned a notorious business owner known by his alias Ami.

"Can you imagine that, during the time of [Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan] Peevski and [GERB leader Boyko] Borissov, or under the so-called 'assemblage' governments, the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security would enter Ami's mansions, go as far as the underground rooms, search absolutely everything, seize electronic devices and then even carry out searches at houses in Kapitan Andreevo?" Radev said.

He argued that, until recently, these people and Bulgaria's political class had been closely connected, with police officers standing outside their properties to protect them. "The police and security services did not even think that they could enter, search, seize and detain. Now the State is doing this and will continue to do so," Radev said.

The Prime Minister urged members of the public to call the emergency number 112 if they encounter motorcades on the roads or displays of security guards at restaurants and other venues, saying that the Interior Ministry was ready to respond.

"We will not allow the era of mob-style rule to continue to exist in Bulgaria, because it has re-emerged in recent years," Radev said.

Radev said that the powerful jammer found in Dragalevtsi had been mounted on an SUV and that the owner of both the vehicle and the property where it was found had been identified. He said he expected the Interior Ministry and security services to provide further information by the end of the day.

The Sofia District Prosecution Office said Monday that the investigation into the Dragalevtsi jammer case has so far involved witness interviews and six searches at different addresses. Investigators have seized recording devices, computer equipment, other technical equipment and one vehicle. The case was opened as a pre-trial investigation into a crime under the Penal Code, with several expert examinations ordered, including technical, video-technical and computer forensic analyses. The investigation is continuing.

Radev also said, as quoted by the Government Information Service, that the Cabinet has fulfilled the first point of its election campaign - the removal of the oligarchy from political power. In his words, Peevski and Borissov are no longer in government. "They no longer show up in Parliament every morning to tell the government what to do and what not to do,” Radev added.

The Prime Minister underscored that the fight against the oligarchy requires support from free media, and therefore ongoing efforts are needed to shed light on the media’s owners. “Without free media, there is no way to fight corruption,” Radev argued. The goal is for the media to interpret the facts, not to fabricate them, he noted, recalling instances where words were falsely attributed to him and manipulatively conveyed to the public. Bringing transparency to the media landscape is part of broader efforts to limit the influence of oligarchic structures and deny them access to public resources, he is quoted as saying.

The Prime Minister said further that the institutions’ recent actions do not signify - as certain media outlets manipulatively portray - the end of the fight against the oligarchic model. “The next step is to restrict the oligarchy’s access to public resources,” he specified. As an example, Radev cited dozens of suspended public procurement contracts and agreements that are currently being audited or reviewed.

In his words, the step after that is “strengthening law enforcement agencies.” Far-reaching reforms are forthcoming within the agencies, as well as the identification of individuals who have worked in the interests of oligarchic structures. He said that the institutions are also working with partner countries to identify properties and bank accounts with the aim of confiscating assets.

The Prime Minister underscored that removing the oligarchy from political power is only the first step. “We have taken only the first step. In fact, it was the Bulgarian people who took it. The Bulgarian people removed them; they kicked them out of political power,” Radev said, as quoted by the Government Information Service.