site.btaAd Hoc Prosecutor Investigating Prosecutor General Approaced with 18 Alerts in 2023 and 2024

According to a report submitted by ad hoc prosecutor Daniela Taleva to the Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), Taleva had been approached with 18 alerts about an investigation of criminal offences committed by the prosecutor general or by a deputy prosecutor general: 10 in 2023 and 8 in 2024.

Five case files that were opened last year have been disposed of. In four cases, the initiation of an investigation has been refused. Work has started on one alert, but that investigation has been terminated for lack of corpus delicti.

Six of the alerts submitted in 2024 have been referred to other prosecution offices because they are no longer under the jurisdiction of the investigating prosecutor. A total of seven case files remain pending, and pretrial proceedings have been initiated in one of them and should be completed by the end of June at the latest. Another five undisposed-of case files are expected to be completed by the end of this month as well.

A ruling is due by August 11 on an alert submitted by former prime minister Nikolay Denkov, alleging that acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov pressured Zhivko Kotsev to resign as secretary general of the Interior Ministry. By that date, the ad hoc prosecutor should determined whether pretrial proceedings in the case should be instituted.

On Wednesday, the SJC Prosecutors Chamber adopted for its information a reference brief on the case files handled by the ad hoc prosecutor.

Taleva, previously a judge at the Sofia City Court, was appointed an ad hoc prosecutor by the Supreme Judicial Council Plenum under constitutional amendments instituting this position. She took office on December 7, 2023.