site.btaMP Outraged that Citizenship Scammer Gleb Myshin Was Allowed to Leave Bulgaria and Barred from Returning

Gleb Myshin, who reportedly arranged for Russians to obtain Bulgarian citizenship through a suspected scam, has left Bulgaria, apparently without anyone trying to stop him, MP Atanas Atanassov told journalists on Thursday. Atanassov leads a parliamentary inquiry into the case.

He said he had expected Myshin to be arrested, "because there is ample evidence that he has been involved in corrupt scheming for awarding Bulgarian citizenship using fake documents."

What is even more outrageous, according to Atanassov, is that after Myshin left Bulgaria, the State Agency for National Security (SANS) barred him from entering the country. "All this shows that the scheme was functioning under the protective umbrella of the [Bulgarian] special services," said Atanassov, who headed the SANS between 1998 and 2001.

He noted that paperwork movements related to the case were most intensive under the caretaker governments between May 2021 and June 2023.

Asked by a journalist when the special services will be reformed, Atanassov said it is a matter of time.

Taking a question about the other people involved in the citizenship scam, he said Myshin was the mastermind, but the problem is who provided the umbrella. Atanassov saw some of the fake Bulgarian origin certificates and noticed that they looked the same - they were obviously produced by the same photocopier.

Discussing the expected government rotation in early March, Atanassov, who co-chairs the government-sharing Democratic Bulgaria coalition, expressed his confidence that the rotation will take place. He said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel are expected to propose a new government lineup. "An analysis is underway at present, they are having discussions, so the process is unfolding. There has been speculation, but it is my conviction that this country needs stability and a government. The political forces forming and supporting the government are aware of these circumstances," Atanassov said.

It is possible that both Denkov and Gabriel will play a role in foreign policy after the rotation, the lawmaker said. "It is a matter of negotiations. We will work it out," he added.