Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office Proposes to Request Immunity for Former PM Kiril Petkov

The Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office proposed to the Chief Prosecutor to request from the Parliament the immunity of the co-chairman of “We continue the change” and former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.

This is understood from a statement by the prosecutor’s office, which states that the request is for “K.P. – former prime minister and current deputy in the 49th National Assembly”.

This is another proposal to request immunity for a deputy, which comes against the background of the mechanism adopted by the National Assembly to investigate the chief prosecutor and the parliamentary majority for constitutional reform agreed between PP-DB, GERB and DPS.

With a post on Facebook Kiril Petkov announced that he is ready to give up his immunity voluntarily, but not immediately:

“To the prosecutors and security services: did you not understand that we are determined to make a complete reform in the judicial system and in the controlled Bulgarian services and that you cannot stop or scare us? I am proud to have renounced my second Canadian citizenship, just so I can be a part of the change that is coming and that after 30 plus years of lack of justice will finally institutionalize all out of control and dependent employees of the justice system and the security system.About my immunity: I will wait for a committee in the National Assembly to be formed and work, before which all the facts and evidence will be presentedso that all Bulgarians can clearly see how the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office is used for political pressure. The day BEFORE the committee makes its decision, I will voluntarily waive my immunitybecause I know I have nothing to fear.”

The proposal for Petkov’s immunity request was prepared in connection with pre-trial proceedings regarding the declaration of citizenship, which he filled out before becoming acting minister of the economy in 2021. Then he declared that he was only a Bulgarian citizen, as required by the constitution. At the same time, however, Petkov was still a Canadian citizen, although he had applied to renounce his second citizenship before becoming a minister.

At the end of 2021, the prosecutor’s office refused to open an investigation into the same case. “There are legal provisions, but they are out of date and there is a need for their further development, since it became clear to everyone, especially since the decision of the Supreme Court was also made public – there is no doubt that there is a false declaration, but in itself in this particular case, in this legal disposition cannot cause criminal liability“the head of the now closed special prosecutor’s office, Valentina Madzharova, said at the time.

The current request comes on the day when the parliament has to vote on the government of “We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria” and GERB.

“From the evidence collected in the course of the investigation, it can be concluded that in the declaration submitted by K.P. to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, there is a hidden truth – the presence of dual citizenship, and it is a confirmed falsehood that the person corresponds to the conditions for electing people’s representatives”, stated in the message.

“Great effort by the prosecutor’s office to remove all the masks. But it’s okay. After all this time, this is all they have. And how coincidental… two years after the termination… exactly today”Lena Borislavova from PP wrote on Facebook.

Two years ago, the topic of Kiril Petkov’s dual citizenship at the time was raised by “There is such a people”. Then GERB appealed to the Constitutional Court, which declared illegal the decree of President Rumen Radev on the appointment of the caretaker government, in which Petkov was Minister of Economy.