site.btaJudicial Inspectorate to Check Recent Statements by Top Prosecutors

Acting on its own initiative based on media coverage, the Inspectorate with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) said on Friday it would check statements made in the past week by Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev and his deputy, National Investigation Service Director Borislav Sarafov.

The Inspectorate will look into Geshev's and Sarafov's statements alleging conduct prejudicial to the prosecutor's independence and conduct prejudicial to the prestige of the judiciary.

The case was assigned to an inspector based on the random allocation principle. 

On May 15, Geshev and Sarafov made separate statements to the media. 

Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev said politics must get out of the judiciary, talked about a May 1 blast allegedly targeting him, an offer to quit in return for an ambassadorial post, and a threatening message demanding his resignation. He also talked about a money-laundering case known as Barcelonagate and involving GERB leader and former prime minister Boyko Borissov, and about a motion to the SJC for Geshev's replacement. In addition, he commented on actions of political parties and MPs.

For his part, Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov said a catharsis was needed "to remove the rot so that the prosecution service can start working". He said Geshev had admitted that he kept the Barcelonagate case on the backburner to be able to blackmail politicians, and that the Prosecutor General's statement earlier that day amounted to a bid to enter politics.