Bulgaria moved to dismiss the country’s top prosecutor, a controversial figure who has for years faced accusations of political meddling and links to organized crime.
(Bloomberg) — Bulgaria moved to dismiss the country’s top prosecutor, a controversial figure who has for years faced accusations of political meddling and links to organized crime.
The motion to oust Ivan Geshev still needs to be approved by President Rumen Radev. Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council, the body that scrutinizes magistrates, voted Monday to dismiss the prosecutor for undermining the prestige of the judiciary by calling lawmakers “political garbage” last month.
Suspicions about criminal ties have for years undermined the Balkan country’s judiciary, for which it has faced repeated criticism from the European Union and the US. The body’s decision also comes after weeks of turmoil, with a new government vowing to end political deadlock in Sofia as rival parties joined to form a coalition majority.
Geshev denied wrongdoing and said the motions were a result of a political plot against him.
“We’re talking about a political attempt to take over the judiciary,” he told the Council on Monday.
Geshev’s appointment in 2019 was opposed by judges, civil organizations and protesters. A confrontation with Radev and prosecutor raids on Radev’s office a year later prompted protesters in Sofia to demand the resignation of both Geshev and then-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
With demonstrators accusing them of harboring links with organized crime — which both deny — the rallies helped end Borissov’s rule and triggered a political crisis that resulted in five elections since 2021. Geshev’s mandate expires in 2026.
Ranked regularly among the EU’s most corrupt countries, Bulgaria has faced scrutiny over its poor judiciary ever since it joined the bloc more than 15 years ago. In the 1990s, dozens of mobsters were killed in violent gang wars. Most of the cases remain unsolved.
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