site.btaUPDATED Interior Ministry Secretary General Withdraws Resignation

Zhivko Kotsev has withdrawn his resignation as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. He gave a news briefing at the Council of Ministers on Friday together with outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.

The announcement was made a day after Kotsev's bid to resign was reported by the ministry.

Kotsev's latest move came after Denkov talked with Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov. The prime minister said it was "a long and honest conversation". He inferred that Kotsev had tendered his resignation "under pressure from the interior minister and top-ranking officials in the prosecution service".

The minister's version was that Kotsev would resign of his own accord, the prime minister said.

Kotsev said at the briefing he had come under huge psychological and moral pressure to step down. "I see what is going on in the Interior Ministry system. I have served in it for more than 30 years. My whole career is associated with law enforcement. Initially, I reacted with huge disappointment, I felt insulted and hurt by the way I was treated. I see an extremely ugly campaign unfolding against me. I am confronted by a large cohort which wants to discredit me as a person, as a professional, me and my close ones."

The Secretary General complained of an incessant barrage of speculations and insinuations against him since Wednesday. He expects the smear campaign to acquire "extraordinary proportions". "I expect anything," he added.

Kotsev said his resignation from the Interior Ministry system, before it was reversed, was used earlier on Friday as an argument for Stoyanov to remain interior minister. This gave Kotsev a sense of moral and professional duty to go back to work. "This is not just about me anymore; [...] it is about the whole nation, all Bulgarian citizens for whom we are supposed to provide calm and order," he said.

Asked to comment on allegations that his office and his home were searched, Kotsev said: "On the third of the month I was asked to cooperate in a criminal procedure. I went to the Illegal Assets Forfeiture Commission, to the prosecution, and then, at a later point, certain procedural actions were carried out at my office and my home, but those reports about colossal amounts of cash and other ridiculous statements are untrue."

Kotsev said he has not received any life threats. "But let me explain: I expect anything from anyone."

Prime Minister Denkov commented that Kotsev is a professional with 33 years of service and a spotless reputation, who realized in this case that quitting was not the right thing to do. Denkov noted: "I believe this is good for Bulgaria, not because it serves a given political party, but because we are witnessing a surge of unfounded accusations which require very strong evidence before one thing or another is hurled into the public domain."

Bulgaria is headed for early parliamentary elections. President Rumen Radev has said he will schedule them to coincide with the European Parliament elections on June 9.