site.btaMRF Parliamentary Group Expellees Complain of "Massive Checks" by Counter-corruption Commission

One of the two chairpersons of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Dzhevdet Chakarov, said Friday that the Counter-corruption and Unlawfully Acquired Assets Forfeiture Commission (CCUAAFC) has launched large-scale checks on MRF MPs, excluding the other chairperson, Delyan Peevski, and his supporters. Chakarov, who was expelled by Peevski from the party’s parliamentary group along with 16 other members, was speaking at a news briefing in Parliament on Friday.

Chakarov said, "Today we are again witnessing an abuse of power in the form of unprecedented pressure exerted on MRF MPs, excluding Peevski and company". He said that falls in a chain of events that also includes the recent dismissals of regional governors, who have declared allegiance to MRF founder and Honorary Chair Ahmed Dogan.

Chakarov addressed the Finance Minister, asking her to confirm or deny rumours about a meeting between the counter-corruption committee, the Finance Ministry, the National Revenue Agency and and "certain individual" whom he would not name and who allegedly initiated the meeting. At this meeting, the competent authorities were allegedly instructed to launch the said massive checks. 

On Wednesday, the caretaker government removed the regional governors of Kardzhali and Smolyan, Resmi Murad and Rumen Pehlivanov, less than a month after they were appointed. Both declared their allegiance to Dogan after getting appointed to the posts. It transpired on Thursday that the deputy regional governor of Pleven, Milen Dimitrov, has also been dismissed.

Peevski and a 22-strong circle of MPs around him have been in an open feud with MRF's Honorary Chair Ahmed Dogan since July 11. Dogan's camp in Parliament has since grown bigger than Peevski's even though the Dogan MPs have formally been expelled from the MRF group. Each party claims ownership of the MRF brand and a resolution is not in sight.