site.btaContinue the Change Requests Ognyan Atanasov Pardon Documents from Iliana Iotova, Calls for her Withdraw from Presidential Race

Continue the Change (CC) called on Iliana Iotova to provide documents and information explaining the grounds on which Ognyan Atanasov, known as the "Petrich Escobar" and convicted of serious crimes, was granted a pardon, the political party said on Monday.

The party said that, following the "latest scandalous revelations" concerning Iotova’s decision to pardon a convicted drug trafficker, morality, integrity and responsibility toward the public require her to withdraw from the presidential race.

The request comes in connection with a video recording that CC claims shows Atanasov taking part in a fight between inmates at the prison hospital on November 16, 2022, three weeks before he was pardoned, on December 5 of the same year.

CC MPs submitted a request for information under Article 139 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, seeking details on when the pardon application was submitted, when it was reviewed by the presidential Pardon Commission, who served on the commission, how its members voted, and who was assigned to report on the case.

The party also requested the medical records and expert opinions that served as the basis for the pardon, as well as information on whether a report was requested from the prison or the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences regarding Atanasov’s conduct prior to the pardon.

Among CC’s questions is whether the case file contained any information, reports, disciplinary records or video footage concerning the November 16, 2022 incident, and whether such material was presented and considered before the pardon decree was issued.

The party asked whether opinions were sought from social workers, medical professionals and other staff who had worked with Atanasov; whether an assessment of his conduct and the risk of recidivism was carried out; and whether the medical conclusions were updated between November 16 and December 5, 2022.

CC demanded information on any investigations carried out after Iotova publicly expressed doubts about the medical expert assessment that had been submitted and after the video was released, including whether the authenticity of the footage and the identity of the person appearing in it were verified.

Continue the Change said that it had previously requested the full case file concerning Atanasov’s pardon, including information that could be disclosed under the Classified Information Protection Act. According to the party, the president’s administration refused to provide the information at the end of last week, arguing that the documents contained personal data.

CC said that its request was handled under the Access to Public Information Act rather than under Article 139 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly.

The party said it expects the answers to be accompanied by specific documents, including reference numbers, dates, reports, opinions and minutes. According to CC, the key question is whether information about Atanasov’s conduct immediately before the pardon was known to the Pardon Commission and to Iotova, who was vice president at the time.