Bulgaria Rightists Want Impeachment of President over Links to Saddam Hussein

Former PM Ivan Kostov (right) has urged acting PM Boyko Borisov (left) to crack down on the mafia which Kostov believes is linked to President Georgi Parvanov. Photo by BGNES

Right-wing party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) may demand the impeachment of the President Georgi Parvanov over an alleged letter to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Ivan Kostov, leader of DSB, which is part of the rightist Blue Coalition supporting the GERB government, said Monday that if it was proved that Parvanov in his capacity of a Chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party sent a letter asking Saddam Husein for help, the rightists would demand that he be impeached.

Kostov urged the government of Boyko Borisov to demand all documentation about the UN “Oil for Food” program from the Iraqi government in order to find out whether Parvanov was involved in any illegal dealings in the late 1990s.

The Oil for Food program amounted to a total of USD 67 B in the period of 1996-2003. Its aim was to procure humanitarian goods for the Iraqi people by alleviating the effect on them of the UN sanctions imposed on the country after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

There have been unconfirmed reports about the involvement of Bulgarian companies in illegal trade with the regime of the former Iraqi dictator. According to recent announcements by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, a 2005 intelligence report of the Interior Ministry – together with about 10 similar classified documents – disappeared in the hands of his predecessor Sergey Stanishev. Stanishev is currently under investigation.

Monday’s statement of Ivan Kostov came after on Sunday President Georgi Parvanov slammed the GERB government saying it was about get former PM Sergey Stanishev sentenced while the real gangsters were roaming free.

“With his statement Parvanov is trying to block the state and to save the mafia members who are still in the state government. Thus, he wants to show how terrible the response of the mafia will be if the government targets it,” Kostov declared Monday.

In his words, the “mafia” could bring about the destabilization of Bulgaria and the overthrow of the government of Boyko Borisov and the GERB party. That is why the rightists insist that GERB start a war against the mafia despite the “threats” made by President Parvanov.

“In order to defend himself, the head of state is trying to disparage the leaks of classified information, and to influence the actions of the Chief Prosecutor and the Chair of the Supreme Court of Cassation,” Kostov stated.

He reminded that 30 pages were missing from the file of Georgi Parvanov who is known to have been a collaborator with the State Security – the former secret police and intelligence services of the Communist regime – and urged the government to recover that missing information.

“By defending our Ambassadors to Turkey and the USA, the President is defending election fraud,” the rightist leader said regarding Parvanov’s refusal to recall the two Ambassadors despite the prompting by the GERB government. Foreign Minister Jeleva has said the two have allowed violations during the voting abroad in Bulgaria’s July 2009 Parliamentary Elections.

Ivan Kostov also declared his party had information about where the government could find incriminating documents actually signed by Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the ethnic Turkish party DPS (Movement for Rights and Freedoms), which was partner in the two coalition governments in 2001-2009. The DSB party will demand from the GERB cabinet and Interior Minister Tsvetanov that they start gathering evidence against Dogan and the notorious “rings of firms” around his party.

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