Bulgaria: Borislav Sarafov was Elected as Acting Chief Prosecutor (UPDATED)

The head of the national investigation, Borislav Sarafov, was elected acting chief prosecutor. This happened at an extraordinary meeting of the prosecutor's collegium. They supported the proposal for Sarafov with 8 votes "in favor", one "against".

It was convened after President Rumen Radev signed the decree for Ivan Geshev's release on June 15. Three of Geshev's deputies agreed to participate - Borislav Sarafov, Desislava Pironeva and Daniela Masheva.

The Prosecution College also accepted that the decision of the Judicial Council can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court and allowed preliminary implementation of the decision, i.e. Sarafov is now acting chief prosecutor. Sarafov demanded the resignation of former chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev and entered into a direct conflict with him. Sarafov also reported him to the prosecutor's office. There are also reports against Sarafov in the Supreme Court of Cassation, where they can be filed under the new mechanism for the investigation of the chief prosecutor.

"We are really in a special situation, the prosecutor's office cannot be left without a person who is the chief prosecutor. All candidates meet the requirements for seniority, as deputies also meet high standards to be in this position," said Ognyan Damyanov, who announced that he would support Sarafov

Plamen Naydenov, who voted against Geshev's removal, proposed and stated that he would support Daniela Masheva's candidacy.

In front of the members of the collegium, Sarafov stated that "I express my gratitude for the high trust, I am aware of the responsibility I have in front of my colleagues and in front of society. People saw that in the last month, the prosecutor's office was used in favor of Geshev's...