site.btaProsecution Service Reiterates Request to Strip Immunities of Two MPs

New requests for lifting the immunities of MPs Dzheyhan Ibryamov and Mario Rangelov, the prosecution service said. In accordance with the Constitution, the Parliament has been referred to requests for permission to institute criminal proceedings against Dzheyhan Ibryamov on November 13, 2024 and against Mario Rangelov - on December 19, 2024. By a decision of 24 January 2025, the National Assembly refused to authorise the investigations against the persons with immunity, the state prosecution recalled. 

The supervising prosecutors at the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office have once again prepared proposals to lift the immunities of Ibryamov and Rangelov on the grounds that currently there is sufficient evidence. In the course of the investigations a number of actions have been carried out - searches and seizures, interrogation of numerous witnesses, admission of written and material evidence, etc., the prosecution service stated. 

According to the prosecution service's information, Ibryamov is accused of asking for and accepting a gift in October 2019 in Sofia to exert influence on a decision by an official of the Ministry of Health in connection with his office - to issue a permit to market a group of biocides. On September 26, 2024, in Sofia, in order to obtain for himself a property benefit, Dhzeyhan Ibryamov misled M.T. into believing that if he gave him the sum of BGN 400,000 he would exert influence in the decision-making of officials of the Ministry of Defence in connection with their public procurement service. On October 2, 2024, in Sofia, he maintained this deception in M.T. and attempted to cause him property damage, and the attempt remained unfinished for reasons beyond Ibryamov's control, the state prosecution explained. 

They pointed out that in the present case, there was a contradiction in the approach of the National Assembly, as the decision of the Chair of the 50th National Assembly had authorized the prosecution of Ibryamov at the initial stage of the proceedings, whereas the decision of the 51st National Assembly of January 24, 2025 refused to grant such authorization in the face of a significantly greater volume of evidence. 

Regarding Mario Rangelov, the supervising prosecutor points out that the evidence collected is sufficient to bring him to trial as a defendant: for forming and leading a group for the purpose of crimes against the political rights of citizens, for providing a material benefit and for organizing the giving of a sum of BGN 15,000 in order to induce voters to exercise their right to vote in favour of a particular coalition in the elections for MPs on October 27, 2024. 

On January 24, 2025, the Parliament did not grant demands by acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov to lift the immunity of Mario Rangelov and Dzheyhan Ibryamov.