site.btaPresident Says Solving Martin Bozhanov's Case Will Determine Bulgaria's Development as Democratic, Rule of Law State

President Rumen Radev told journalists on Sunday in Bansko that solving the case of Martin "the Notary" Bozhanov will determine Bulgaria's development as a democratic and rule-of-law state.

All the talk about constitutional reform and the rule of law clashes with the reality in which Bozhanov could have been a broker between the mafia and the judiciary only with political protection, the head of State said. 

Radev stressed that he will insist on the investigation of Bozhanov's case, as many similar cases from the past had been left unresolved and forgotten. 

Asked whether the case proves the existence of a parallel judiciary, the President said that there were two options - "either the network in which the mafia had entangled us be broken or this network could strangle the state." In his words, a "determined operation is needed to detoxify institutions entangled in criminal addictions." He said this was a real test not only for the judiciary but also for the government and the National Assembly. They now have a big chance to put Bulgaria on a new path, but if they fail to do so it means that they either cannot or do not want to deal with the mafia, Radev added. 

He said that he would use all the tools at the disposal of the presidential institution to insist that the case be investigated to the end.