Ivaylo Mirchev, a Member of the Bulgarian National Assembly, reported that he and Hristo Ivanov went again to Plovdiv for an extraordinary municipal council meeting.
Accusing GERB and BSP, Mirchev stated that they again blocked the possibility of the fair returning to the city instead of being in the hands of the Russian Honorary Consul.
The case with Varna shares from the Plovdiv Fair illustrates what happens when the prosecutor’s office is taken over.
Mirchev added that on December 1, 2022, Stella Nikolova, an activist and former DB MP, signalled to the prosecutor’s office against Ivan Nikolaevich Portnih for his inaction in helping to benefit Georgi Gergov.
He stressed that for the past five years, Portnych refused to comply with the decision of the Varna Municipal Council, which says Varna shares from the Plovdiv Fair should be returned to the state.
Mirchev said, “If we take a closer look at the situation, we will see that we have a former Russian citizen (Ivan Nikolaevich), whose inaction practically works for a current Russian citizen and Honorary Consul of Russia in Bulgaria (Gergov)”.
Several protests were conducted in Plovdiv and Varna about the problem with Putinist Gergov and GERB’s influence in the matter.
Mirchev added, On December 6, 2022, just three business days after Stella Nikolova’s signal, Varna District Prosecutor’s Office pronounced resolution.
Prosecutor Katya Petrova qualifies the signal in the Legality Supervision group. According to Mirchev, it explicitly states that what was done formed a composition of the NC (non-farm composition) and should be a crime of general nature.
Taking the file as administrative allows prosecutor Petrova to hide behind the recent decision of VAS, in which the majority of the judiciary ruled in favour of Gergov on extremely controversial motives.
Mirchev clarified that Democratic Bulgaria would continue to insist on a comprehensive reconsideration of the model, responsibility and functioning of the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office so that it can work in favour of public and state interest, not in favour of Russian corruption interests in Bulgaria.