site.bta Prosecuting Magistracy Resumes Yanevagate Investigation

Prosecuting Magistracy Resumes Yanevagate Investigation

Sofia, November 4 (BTA) - The investigation into a case which became known as Yanevagate was resumed, and lawyer Momchil Mondeshki was questioned on Friday, the Prosecutor General's Spokesperson said. Mondeshki confirmed what he had said in an earlier interview - that the recordings were made on purpose.

This is not the end of the investigation and more people will be questioned, Spokesperson Roumyana Arnaudova said. It is important to find out if the recording was made by chance and what equipment was used. The investigation may take a different course because at present it is looking into unlawful use of recording equipment.

Acting on his own initiative, the supervising prosecutor resumed the investigation on Wednesday, a few hours after "Troud" published its interview with Mondeshki who said conversations between suspended judge Roumyana Chenalova, former Sofia City Court President Vladimira Yaneva and him were recorded to be used by the two women if their professional problems continued.

The conversations contain allegations that senior members of the executive and the judiciary, including Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov, had tried to influence a probe against Yaneva over unlawful surveillance warrants signed by her.

Mondeshki also said in the interview that the content had been totally fabricated and the recordings were intended to be used as insurance in what Chenalova saw as a smear campaign against her. He said: "We mentioned the names of influential people for whom this might turn out to be a problem in the future."

The recordings were leaked to the website Bivol last November.

Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva and Supreme Court of Cassation President Lozan Panov on Thursday called for a new check into the recorded conversations. Chenalova and Yaneva will be re-questioned. Bivol's journalists Atanas Chobanov and Asen Yordanov will also be summoned for questioning because they claim they have more recordings.