site.btaUPDATED Prosecution Service Releases Dzheyhan Ibryamov from Custody

The prosecution service has ordered the release from custody of Dzheyhan Ibryamov, Sofia City Prosecutor Iliana Kirilova told reporters on Wednesday. She pointed out that the order was issued on Tuesday and that Ibryamov would be released on Thursday.

The investigation against him will be suspended the moment he takes an oath as MP as he will acquire immunity, Kirilova added.

Ibryamov, MP of the 50th National Assembly and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms coalition's top-of-the-list candidate in the 30th multi-member constituency in Shumen for the snap parliamentary elections on October 27, was detained for influence peddling on October 2. Sofia City Court left Ibryamov in custody on October 5 and four days later Sofia Appellate Court confirmed the lower court’s decision that there is sufficient evidence in the case to support the reasonable assumption that Ibryamov committed the crime with which he is charged. Ivaylo Petrov, the supervising prosecutor in the case, confirmed that there is evidence in the investigation of vote-buying.

"We think it is normal for him to show up and take the oath like everyone else," Kirilova said. Only when Ibryamov gains immunity will the supervising prosecutors decide whether to request its removal again, she explained.

She admitted that the investigation against Ibryamov should be completed. "It is up to the supervising prosecutors to decide how this will happen," the Sofia City Prosecutor noted.

The prosecution service did not open this case just because there is a conflict in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Kirilova said. She dismissed the possibility that the prosecution service had relied too heavily on the testimony of the main witness in the case.

She stressed that the name of the prosecution service should not be dragged into political intrigues. "A lot of questioning should be done and circumstantial evidence should be evaluated in order to reach the accusation of vote buying," Kirilova underlined.