Deputy Prosecutor General Daniela Masheva is to be acting prosecutor general while Ivan Geshev is in Strasbourg. The European Parliament’s LIBE Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group is holding an extraordinary closed session in Strasbourg today to discuss the situation in Bulgaria, at which Ivan Geshev is expected to be heard out.

• Supreme Judicial Council has dismissed Ivan Geshev from position of Chief Prosecutor
• Prosecutor General Geshev names Peevski and Borisov behind attempts to dismiss him

Before the Supreme Judicial Council voted in favour of the dismissal of Ivan Geshev as prosecutor general, the Sofia Appellate Prosecution Office reopened the pre-trial proceedings in connection with breaches in the construction of TurkStream. The action has been filed by the supervisory prosecutor’s office, after reviewing the prosecutor’s decision not to initiate pre-trial proceedings.

TurkStream connects Russia with Turkey’s European shore, running along the bottom of the Black Sea. The pipe traverses Bulgaria in transit, where it has been dubbed BalkanStream, and goes on to Serbia and Hungary. TurkStream allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine as a transit route to Europe.

Ivan Geshev has demanded that parliament lift the immunity of former prime minister and leader of We Continue the Change Kiril Petkov, regarding a declaration of citizenship containing alleged false information which he submitted in 2021.

• Prosecutor's Office wants to reopen investigation against former Premier Kiril Petkov