Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Boyko Borissov’s detention – a demonstration or a step to fight corruption in Bulgaria

Author:
Photo: BGNES

The 24-hour detention of Bulgaria’s former Premier Boyko Borissov, former Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov and GERB’s Media Adviser Sevdalina Arnaudova has been top of the domestic policy agenda in recent days.  Meanwhile, mutual accusations between the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Interior continue. However, it remains to be seen whether the government will prove that it is taking steps towards fulfilling its promise to show zero tolerance for corruption.

In an interview for Novetica website, lawyer Lyubomir Talev called the detention of Borissov, Goranov and Arnaudova “a triumph of lawlessness, helplessness and pseudo change” and clarified: “It is a triumph of lawlessness, because the public has not received evidence and arguments why a person must be arrested without the sanction of the independent judiciary”. In his words, “this act is a triumph ofpseudo change, because the so-called parties of protest came to power with the promise to make judicial reform, ensure lawfulness and the independence of the judiciary, and promote the rule of law.Meanwhile, we see that they are doing the opposite.”

In an interview with the BNR, GERB’s MP Dani Kanazireva suggested that Premier Kiril Petkov had ordered Boyko Borissov’s detention. 

According to Hristo Ivanov, Chairman of the parliamentary group of “Democratic Bulgaria”, these actions of the law-enforcement authorities should have happened, as an awful lot of questions regarding Borissov and the other detainees have remained unanswered. 

The attempt of the former ruling party and the biggest opposition in Bulgaria’s National Assembly to present the latest events as a battle between the bad state and the good Borissov is unlikely to succeed, political scientist Strahil Deliyski predicted.


“It will certainly strengthen cohesion within the party. Only a week ago, during the national conference of GERB, party members said that GERB was Borissov and Borissov was GERB. Every community acts in this way when it is at risk. However, this party cannot grow bigger. Borissov keeps it alive, but he also impedes the party’s development in a dynamic political environment”, Strahil Deliyski said for Radio Plovdiv of the BNR.

“I wonder how the government benefitted from Borissov’s detention apart from saying once again- we are the good ones and the Prosecutor’s Office is bad”, political scientist Dimitar Ganev said with regard to the actions of the Ministry of Interior.

“You must have irrefutable proof to undertake such an urgent step. The partial rehabilitation of GERB and Boyko Borissov came with the end of his 24-hour detention. I don’t know what the government thought, but their actions may have a boomerang effect”, Dimitar Ganev added.


According to Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev, however, it was the Prosecutor’s Office that failed, as it did not file any indictment to Boyko Borissov and Vladislav Goranov before they were released from custody.

“It doesn’t matter what your name is. We must follow the one-size-fits-all model. This is a normal investigative action. This process will continue. The Prosecutor’s Office has not refused to initiate pretrial proceeding. It is waiting for additional information” contends Assen Vassilev.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: BGNES



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The MPs to make a new attempt to elect National Assembly Speaker

The members of parliament will continue their session at 10 AM on November 22, following yet another unsuccessful attempt to elect a Speaker of the National Assembly. In the last vote on Wednesday, November 20, the candidacies of Raya Nazaryan from..

published on 11/22/24 5:10 AM
Voters queuing to cast their ballots in the UK on election day.

A Multi-member Constituency 'Abroad' will prevent manipulation of the votes of Bulgarians living outside the country

Nearly a month after the 27 October early parliamentary elections, the 51st National Assembly is still not able to begin its work because MPs are unable to elect their first among equals. Bulgaria's political impasse is compounded by burning concerns..

published on 11/20/24 1:45 PM
Yordan Tsonev

No one has requested support from DPS-New Beginning for the election of National Assembly Speaker

DPS-New Beginning MP Yordan Tsonev said in an interview with BNT that no one has requested support from their party for the election of National Assembly Speaker. Yordan Tsonev criticized We Continue the Change- Democratic Bulgaria for violating a..

published on 11/19/24 10:59 AM