site.btaProsecution Service Condemns Warnings Issued by Interior Minister

In a statement released on Friday in response to remarks made by the Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, the prosecution service said that any "warnings" issued publicly by a minister – a member of the executive branch – to prosecutors and senior officials within the prosecution service are unacceptable. The prosecution service added that public comments on ongoing investigations, evidence and various lines of inquiry being pursued in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior are also unacceptable, not least because they contravene the legal powers of the Interior Minister.

On Thursday, Demerdzhiev reported that the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into whether officers from the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime overstepped their powers while investigating MRF Chair Delyan Peevski, who enjoys immunity as a Member of Parliament.

The prosecution service stated that the final assessment of any inquiry or investigation in a state governed by the rule of law rests with the courts, not with the prosecution service or the executive authorities. The statement pointed out that the prosecution service and the Interior Ministry share a common objective, subject solely to the law. It was noted that the recent past shows that any attempt to create inter-institutional tension, instigated by the executive, dooms this common objective to failure.

The prosecution service concurs with the Minister that the law is the supreme value and that any investigation following a complaint should be conducted uncompromisingly and professionally. "We also share the view that every professional decision, every conflict of interest and every declaration of assets must be subject to the scrutiny of the law and public oversight, regardless of who the individuals under investigation are and how much power lies behind their names," the statement reads.

On July 31, the Interior Ministry reported that Demerdzhiev referred Peevski to the Bulgarian National Audit Office over suspected discrepancies between the publicly declared assets and income of a public office holder and his actual lifestyle.

On July 2, Demerdzhiev told Parliament that authorities are investigating the routes, financing and passengers of private flights taken by Peevski.