site.btaLegal Affairs Committee Adopts Prosecutor General's Activity Report for January-August 2020

October 14 (BTA) - Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee adopted here on Wednesday a report presented by Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev about his institution's work in the first eight months of this year. The report was approved with 14 votes in favour and seven against. The Socialists said they will explain why they voted against in the plenary.

Geshev personally presented the report during a sitting that lasted three hours and included questions by MPs.

The Prosecutor General listed traffic accidents as a problem, adding that many of them are caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He also presented statistical data, according to which telephone fraud has decreased by 90 per cent compared to last year, theft and robberies have gone down by 22 and 19 per cent, respectively.

Asked by MPs about specific cases and investigations of high public interest, such as the leaked scandalous photographs and audio recordings involving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Barcelonagate, and EU funds embezzlement, among others, Geshev said he cannot provide details as he has not been authorized to do so by the supervising prosecutor.

Commenting on the probes linked to the Prime Minister, the Prosecutor General said that Borissov has already been questioned three times, and asked why nobody is inquiring why the investigation into the "house in Barcelona" in Spain is continuing for so long.

The Prosecutor General described as propaganda the criticism against the prosecuting magistracy about the insufficient fight against corruption and organized crime, asking at what point in time there have been more investigations along those lines throughout the years. Meanwhile, Geshev agreed with the European Commission's position that more efforts are needed in that regard.

Commenting on the Prosecutor General's accountability, Geshev said he is not worried about any form of control. According to him, the true problems in the Judiciary stem from "the Penal Code from the time of comrade Todor Zhivkov" (apparently referring to Bulgaria's longtime communist-era leader), and the Code of Criminal Procedure, which has very high standards that prevent attaining the results the public expects.

Geshev also said that politicians have already embarked on their election campaign, adding that he and the prosecuting magistracy will take no part in it. RI/DS


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