Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and and the former prosecutor general Sotir Tsatsarov  met with Turkish intelligence to discuss the handing over, to the Turkish authorities, of Turkish citizens after the attempted coup against President Erdogan, the German Der Spiegel writes, citing documents from the Turkish embassy in Sofia, BNR reports.

In July 2016 the European courts refused to hand over to the Turkish authorities Turkish citizens wanted for political reasons. Immediately after the attempted coup Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the head of the Bulgarian intelligence services met with the Turkish ambassador to Sofia. The Turkish side requested the extradition of Turkish businessman Abdullah Büyük. After Büyük seven more Turkish citizens were handed over the Turkey, Der Spiegel writes.

Neither I, as Prosecutor General at that time, nor the Prosecutor’s Office participated at this procedure. Büyük was handed over to the Turkish authorities under the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, not via extradition, the position of Sotir Tsatsarov published on the web site of Bulgaria’s anticorruption commission reads.