site.btaProsecution Service Denies Foul Play in Death of Bulgarian European Prosecutor's Mother

The Pleven District Prosecution Office (PDPO) on Monday denied speculations about foul play in the death of the mother of Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva. "The woman, who was found dead after a fire in the village of Beglezh in Pleven Region on February 15, did not die a violent death. An investigation of the fire established no clues of violence against the 75-year-old woman," the prosecution office said in a statement.

The statement did not name either the deceased or the European prosecutor, but the details of the incident as described add up.

Multiple media reports have speculated about foul play in the death of Georgieva's mother. The reports also noted that several days after that incident, a security detail was assigned to Georgieva at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. In a comment for bTV last week, Georgieva said that a second post mortem of her mother had not been performed and forensic medics were unable to reach a definitive conclusion about the causes of her death.  

In its statement on Monday, the PDPO specified that 11 expert analyses had been carred out as well as three inspections of the fire scene, 21 witnesses had been questioned, and CCTV camera footage had been inserted into the case records. Police have not detected any persons or motor vehicles that may be implicated in acting with malice aforethought. 

"According to the forensic experts, because of the extent of the body's charring, the cause of death cannot be determined conclusively. Still, no traumatic injuries have been discovered, and a traumatic cause of death is ruled out. The soft tissues around the thyroid and cricoid cartilage are intact, indicating that there had been no impact/pressure on the neck area," the prosecution service said. It added that the death may have been caused by a sudden cardiac arrest. The forensic medics also established that the deceased had ingested alcohol and medication, which could have led to heart failure.

The fire expert concluded that there was no evidence of arson. The expert concluded that "the fire was most likely caused by negligent handling of fire while smoking or improper use of a solid-fuel stove." Witnesses had confirmed that the woman had been smoking negligently at home.

The investigators have found "no evidence that the deceased had been threatened". 

The investigation in the pre-trial proceedings has been assigned to an investigating magistrate of the National Investigation Service.