site.btaCC-DB Co-Chair Denkov: Shutting Down Counter-Corruption Commission Will Solve Nothing, Only Create New Problems

The closure of the Counter-Corruption Commission would solve none of Bulgaria’s issues and would only bring negative consequences, said Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) co-floor leader Nikolay Denkov during an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Sunday. He stressed that Continue the Change (CC) will not support the dissolution of the Commission and that the party will issue an official position on the matter. 

“We have always said the same thing — Bulgaria has a massive problem with high-level corruption. It is obvious to everyone and needs a real solution. We want a Counter-Corruption Commission that genuinely fights corruption, not one used for political repression,” Denkov stated.

He emphasized that CC has been working toward creating such a commission and wants it to function properly. A procedure is already underway to appoint a new leadership to the Commission, and the party insists that this new composition be selected according to rules that ensure, as much as possible, political independence.

“Let’s be clear — shutting down the Counter-Corruption Commission will not solve a single problem. The Prosecutor’s Office will still be there. All the misconduct in Varna, for instance, was carried out by the prosecution service in collaboration with the Appellate Court. Instead of solving anything, we will create new issues — the EUR 5 billion at stake isn’t just a number; losing that funding would blow up the entire State budget,” Denkov warned.

Commenting the Saturday statement by Democratic Bulgaria's co-chair Atanas Atanasov, who described the Counter-Corruption Commission as a redundant and harmful body that should be disbanded, Denkov clarified that this was Atanasov’s personal opinion and not a coordinated position of the coalition.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, Kaloyan Pargov, also spoke on BNR, saying that dissolving the Commission puts the national budget at serious risk.

A political standoff emerged in Bulgaria on Saturday over the future of theCounter-Corruption Commission, as top leaders clashed over whether to reform or abolish the body—an institution central to Bulgaria’s commitments under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.