site.btaInterior Minister Rashkov Refers Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev to Head of National Investigation Service

July 27 (BTA) - Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov
contacted the director of the National Investigation Service (NIS),
Borislav Sarafov, about crimes committed by Prosecutor General
Ivan Geshev, Rashkov told the media on Tuesday.

The signal to Sarafov contains some of the materials sent to
Justice Minister Yanaki Stoilov, based on which he referred to
the Supreme Judicial Council a proposal for the dismissal of
Ivan Geshev from the post of Prosecutor General. The materials
are related to the disclosure of data from special surveillance
means and the publication of selected materials from a chat
correspondence by the prosecution service.

Rashkov asked the NIS to decide whether the Prosecutor General
has in fact committed crimes.

In Rashkov's words, "the lawful use of such materials requires
that communication be presented to the public as established,."
He said that "the specific arrangement and selection of data
from electronic communication betrays the purpose of this
communication to serve justice, and instead puts in an
unfavorable light the one who participated in it."

Asked what would happen if the NIS considered that there was no
evidence that a crime had been committed by the Prosecutor
General, Minister Rashkov said that "if the authorized bodies of
 the judiciary consider that there is no crime, we must agree
with them".

"If the deputy prosecutor general refuses to initiate pre-trial
proceedings against his superior, Ivan Geshev, I declare my
intention to appeal this refusal to the higher prosecutor in the
 hierarchy, ie the current prosecutor general," Rashkov said.
  
The NIS forwarded the signal to the specialized prosecution.

In a press release to the media, the state prosecution service
said that the allegations of the Interior Minister were within
the competence of the specialized prosecution.

The NIS does not have the authority to initiate pre-trial
proceedings. According to the state prosecution service, the
assessment of the existence of grounds for initiating pre-trial
proceedings is solely within the competence of a prosecutor.

Immediately after that, the spokesperson of the Prosecutor
General, Siika Mileva, made a statement that the signal from
Boyko Rashkov was another political attack of the executive
power against the prosecution. The author of the signal should
know that the investigation of magistrates is within the
competence of the city or the specialized prosecution, Mileva
said.

According to her, ''we are witnessing a new political act
without legal arguments, which aims to damage the prestige of
the judiciary''.

The result of these attacks is the opposition of institutions.
The price is inefficient functioning of law enforcement bodies
and this price will be paid by the Bulgarian citizens, Mileva
said. RI/DT

  



/DT/