Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office

Without debate, with 19 votes "for", without a single "against" and "abstentions", the Legal Committee of the Parliament approved in the second reading the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, introducing a mechanism of control over the Prosecutor General.

A memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine was signed in Kyiv by the chief prosecutors of both countries, Ivan Geshev and Andriy Kostin. This was announced by the press center of the prosecutor's office.

"An investigation is underway against an organized criminal group with global international criminal activity that has affected the interests of citizens of various countries. Transactions made through the NEXO cryptobank over a 5-year period amounted to $94 billion.

The agreement with the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office for the appointment of 10 delegated European prosecutors is still in force and the issue is not up for discussion, the EU's new Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi was quoted as saying Thursday by the Bulgarian justice ministry. Kövesi is set to speak to the press on Friday.

The US sanctions under the Magnitsky Act imposed on six Bulgarians, including Delyan Peevski and Vasil Bozhkov, will have an impact on European policy approach to Bulgaria. This is what MEP Radan Kanev ("Democratic Bulgaria"/EPP) says in an interview with the toest.bg website.

Bulgaria has been added to Russia's "blacklist" of unfriendly countries. As of yesterday morning, the country has been placed on the list of potential enemies, according to the main Russian federal TV channel "Rossiya 1".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a commentary on the statement by the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office that it was "good that we have not yet been charged with the assassination of the Austrian Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand in 1914."

At a press conference in Moscow Lavrov also said:

CNN has broadcast a report on the latest spy affair in Bulgaria, which resulted in two Russian diplomats being expelled from the country, BGNES reported.

Until 1989, Bulgaria was one of the most loyal members of the USSR-led Warsaw Pact. According to Western analysts, now as a member of NATO and the European Union, the country is a favorite target for Russian espionage.

Bulgaria's Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov called on businessman Vasil Bozhkov to pay his debt to the state to the tune of EUR 359 million in unpaid taxes. Minister Goranov said that Vasil Bozhkov, to whom 11 indictments have been raised, including trading in influence and unlawful possession of cultural values, is another Bulgarian who is fleeing from justice.

The Bulgarian National Assembly adopted on a second reading the proposals of the leader of the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria for amendments to the Gambling Act which bans private lotteries in this country, BNR reported.