The European Public Prosecutor's Office has informed the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission that it is launching an administrative investigation into possible wrongdoing by the Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva. The announcement comes after recordings were circulated on the Internet this month, allegedly showing a conversation from January 2020 between Georgieva and the alleged lobbyist in the judiciary, former investigator Petyo Petrov, known as Pepi Euroto. According to the allegations in the videos, Pepi Euroto participated in a plan to eliminate Georgieva's competitors in the competition for European Prosecutor. The European Public Prosecutor's Office did not directly comment on the content of the footage, but stressed that the independence of every prosecutor in its system is "essential to the mission of the institution". Lawyer Metodi Lalov, who was also a judge, spoke to FACTI on the subject.
- Lawyer Lalov, you were a judge and you know how one rises in the legal hierarchy to this position. However, have we now understood how one rises in the hierarchy to the position of European Prosecutor, after we saw two videos featuring Petyo Petrov, known as Pepi the Euro?
- If we judge from the videos that are coming out, and which there is reason to believe are from Petyo the Euro's office, as well as the fact that Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva is present in these videos, we can conclude that one rises in this way. With informal contacts, with removal or influence on other candidates, so as to ensure the election of a certain person. It would be good if this elected person were to serve the law and the public interest, but when elections are held in such corners, in such offices and such dens, it is obvious that he will not serve the public interest.
- Is this the “family“ that we have heard other magistrates talk about?
- We need to go beyond this narrow social cell “family“, because, in fact, we are talking about clans, about lineages. If we talk about the “Eight Dwarfs“ case or the Notary, then we can also talk about many other “families“. For example, the Supreme Judicial Council. Here, let's take this case with Teodora Georgieva. When I was a judge, she was a prosecutor in the District Prosecutor's Office and I have an insight into her work, not particularly good in my opinion. She was aggressive, she did not accept arguments, including me returning irregular indictments to her. She raised scandals in front of me, but she was close to Dragomir Koyadzhikov, whom the BSP later liked through unknown means and without us understanding how, where and in what way. Then the party proposed him as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council and he became one. One of Geshev's defenders, Sarafov. Koyadzhikov's wife - Spaska Kincheva, is a prosecutor in the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. At one time she was pushed into the Veliko Tarnovo Appellate Prosecutor's Office. Unfortunately, because I have heard things in informal conversations, I can hardly say them publicly now, because there is no one to confirm them later. But Koyadzhikov's wife was transferred quickly after that and suddenly became Sarafov's favorite, while before it was heard that she was rather disapproved of by him. And by connecting Georgieva, who is close to Koyadzhikov, and I know this from him, because I have seen them communicating in the District Court, and connecting these things... And finally you see them as one in the Supreme Judicial Council, the other in the Supreme Prosecutor's Office, and the third in the European Prosecutor's Office, all the same people. And when you see some of them in Petyo Euroto's office, by connecting all this, you can finally conclude whether it is a "family" or a whole family system of ties.
- Let me just take you back a little. What years are we talking about when you have an observation of the work of Teodora Georgieva...
- We are talking about 2006, 2007, 2008 - somewhere there. Honestly, I'm just wasting my time, but this was before she became a judge at the Sofia City Administrative Court, and before that she was a prosecutor at the District Prosecutor's Office.
- So we understand that cadres are being cultivated in the justice system?
- This is how they raise personnel, this is how their biographies are written. Koyadzhikov came from Ruse, where he was an investigator, and became a judge in the Sofia District Court. Many people applied for the position, there were many who wanted it. He came from there in an unknown way. Has anyone ever found out, because I ask this question many times, which of the members of the Supreme Judicial Council, who are magistrates, but were appointed by the parliament, when, where and with whom they met. How did the political parties like them, when were the meetings held, what concepts did these judges present to the political representatives. Why Koyadzhikov, why Marcheva, why Boshnakova and who else? No one has ever explained to us. Go back, look at their concepts on the parliament's website or on the Supreme Judicial Council's website. They are written in indigo, with grammatical errors, copied from one another, common. People we have never heard of being active in the judicial system or in the public sphere before. Society should get used to electing people who have a history, a public history, and judging their qualities based on it. When there is none, when there is no clear narrative and explanation why one or the other is preferred by a political force, we reach this situation when clans clash within the judicial system and someone decides to release a recording to show one wing that it needs to put its feet up. In fact, it is an internal battle.
But dozens, hundreds of magistrates have passed through this office of Pepi Euroto. And now, as they say, they are trembling when their recordings will be released and they will listen. See also the footage from the regional police departments on BOEC. In the same way, we see recordings that record unregulated behavior of police officers. When such a policeman, such a judge is told that there is such a recording, that he must listen, because otherwise it will become public knowledge, what can we expect, how independent he will be. Teodora Georgieva only spoke today and said that she was threatened by Peevski, that it was about the investigation into the Chiren gas storage facility. Echo, where were you, Mrs. Georgieva, years ago to say this or a month ago to say it. This is her defensive reaction to what is happening. The reaction of the district prosecutor Nevena Zartova, who spoke about the “family“, also goes to parliament, was the same. But we have never heard her speak before. And more importantly - we have never seen actions within the framework of her institutional powers to fight corruption, addictions, and pressure before.
- We heard Teodora Georgieva speak only after the publication of the second recording, and after the first she remained silent. Then maybe she thought that it would be only him, that it was better to remain silent…
- That's right. The first clip did not directly incriminate her. In fact, it was not so clear whether it was her or not. But for me, this silence was unacceptable then and is unacceptable now. I have said many times that public figures are obliged to speak, to tell, to refute, to reject when there is any doubt about their integrity, regardless of how great the attack is or how well-founded it is. If it is unfounded, they defend themselves. A person must fight for their authority, especially when they hold a high state position, because they carry public resources and powers. A Bulgarian European prosecutor, a prosecutor, a civil servant, a municipal employee, a police officer cannot remain silent when they are pointed at. If there is something unfounded against him, he comes out and denies it blatantly. If it is well-founded, he comes out and takes responsibility, resigns or tells, or exposes those who kept him dependent. Yes, he should still be expelled like the state office, but at least do something good for society in the end, after allowing himself to be used for years. Now Georgieva's silence is a confession to me. I speak from my perspective as a citizen, an activist, not a lawyer, because legally she is innocent until proven guilty. But in the public sector, things are reversed. Here there is a reasonable assumption that something is wrong. She should come out and refute it. Now she talks about pressure from Peevski, but she does not deny the authenticity of this recording. Even if an investigation against her was launched yesterday, this does not make her independent, because her election was obviously made in an unregulated manner, with the approval of Pepi Euroto, with the removal of other candidates.
- We also see the actions of the European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi, who announced that Teodora Georgieva has been temporarily removed from office until the case is clarified?
- Georgieva's temporary suspension as Bulgarian European Prosecutor is more administrative and is related to her refusal, her withdrawal from the investigation into the expansion of the gas storage facility in Chiren. Her choice is the formal basis indicated by the European Prosecutor's Office, because this is most likely the institutionally convenient thing to indicate, but her choice will also be checked. In any case, we rely on Kövesi, because her image was built in such a way that she is a determined prosecutor, that she investigates without fear. So I really hope that a clear answer will be given about how Teodora Georgieva worked.
- And how do you view the withdrawal of the Chiren case…
- What does it mean for a prosecutor to withdraw from a case today because he was under pressure!? Well, it is clear that anyone who fights crime will be under pressure. When a prosecutor is under pressure, he doesn't resign, but asks for institutional protection, he asks for guarantees, he asks for a team and continues the fight until he finally puts the criminals in prison. And what are we seeing now? It gets dangerous and the prosecutor resigns. What signal does he give to society - that he only works on safe cases that are toothless, that involve petty criminals. The big ones, the oligarchy, the mafia, when you threaten them, they threaten you, but that doesn't mean you have to give in to fear. No, you have to ask for institutional support. And here we have a recusal. "I'm leaving," says Teodora Georgieva, because they scare me. And what follows. He throws this "hot potato" at whom... At the next prosecutor who will get scared and resign, or at the next one who will be brave. If the next one is brave and fit to be a prosecutor, then this one - the coward who is being led away is out of place and must also be removed. Even if there is no question of addiction in the coward, he is simply out of place. Recusal due to fear is absolutely impossible - at least in my eyes. Recusal due to personal connections, acquaintance - yes, there are such things in life. Then you are obliged to do it. But because I am afraid and I am recusal - this is absurd to me.