„The European Prosecutor's Office reacts absolutely adequately. National states determine their candidates and send them. The European Prosecutor's Office does not have the option to check the background of everyone”, said the former director of the National Investigation Service Boyko Naydenov in the studio of „In Focus” in connection with the investigation of the European Prosecutor's Office against the Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva.
„The investigation is mainly because of whether she possesses the quality of independence”, he specified.
„Answers must be given by the political parties that were in power at the time when decisions were made for European prosecutors”, said Naydenov. „It matches well what lawyer Petrov says in the recording that he will talk to so-and-so to resign and this is actually happening. Another confirmation of the authenticity of the recording,” he emphasized.
„Peppi Euroto apparently has a lot of photos. The media is throwing around a thesis that cannot be verified. She reports that she was pressured by someone – when and how? When did this happen – before or after she recused herself? We don't know that. If there is corroborating evidence, charges are brought and she is brought to court”, said Naydenov.
„I am not optimistic that the European Prosecutor's Office's investigation will provide an answer, because those who start talking usually remain silent. An investigation into this whole situation must be launched, because it is very worrying”, he concluded.
„From the European Prosecutor's Office's announcement itself, it is clear that this investigation is in connection with an ongoing investigation by the European Prosecutor's Office itself. Teodora Georgieva says that the reason is the recusal she made from the case for the investigation of abuses surrounding the expansion of the Chiren gas storage facility. The circumstances are connected, because if she has recusal due to threats of compromising material, this is a completely sufficient reason for her to be investigated by the European Prosecutor's Office because it violates her integrity. We have no way of knowing what and whether they will investigate the recordings," said Andrey Yankulov from the ACF.
“If she is addicted, the fact that she has reached the post of European Prosecutor says something that we know about the state of justice in Bulgaria. It is clear that the selection of European prosecutors takes place at the national level”, he pointed out.
„If we consider that this is a real recording, and after so long there has been no refutation from the affected person, I think we should proceed from this point of view, this means that the question of how this influence, which is mentioned in the recording, occurred must be very seriously raised”, Yankulov emphasized.
„The European Prosecutor's Office should not limit itself to the temporary suspension of the Bulgarian European Prosecutor. I think that since such data is publicly available, the Bulgarian office of the European Prosecutor's Office should be audited. This, in my opinion, is necessary as an action by the College of the European Prosecutor's Office”, he stated.
„If there are threats to it, they must be investigated. It is unclear what evidence was collected in this criminal proceeding, in which she worked as a prosecutor,” Yankulov emphasized.
“The Chief Prosecutor did not come forward even at the request of the General Prosecutor's Office in the current case of the Constitutional Court. This was an absolutely inadequate institutional action on the part of the prosecution. I doubt that he will come forward now either. He has adopted a tactic of being invisible,” he said.