Bulgaria Ex PM: My Trial Is Part of Vote 2011 Parapharnelia

Sergey Stanishev, Bulgaria's former prime minister and leader of the opposition Socialist Party, relinquished his immunity as an MP in order to facilitate the proceedings in the trial against him. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Sergey Stanishev, Bulgaria's former prime minister and leader of the opposition Socialist Party, who was charged last year over the leak of a classified report on organized crime, expects the deadlock in his trial to be broken right before the elections.

"I expect to see developments in the case ahead of the upcoming general elections in the autumn,", Sergey Stanishev told Trud daily while in Athens, where he is attending a meeting of the Socialist International.

The former Socialist prime minister jokingly added that his successor Boyko Borisov "certainly has a few tricks up his sleeve" for this year's crucial vote.

A year after Stanishev was officially charged amid lots of media fuss, no indictment has been tabled to the court yet.

Prosecutors say the trial against him has been suspended because of missing confidential documents, which prompted the investigation.

It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors suspect Stanishev played a part in what may well turn out to be a scheme.

Late in October 2009 Stanishev was questioned over the concealment and leaking of the classified report, but denied any wrongdoing and described the case as provocation and undue use of "pressure".

He was officially charged in July 2010.

The contentious year-old top secret report by the National Security Agency (DANS), which sheds light on the influence of criminal organizations within certain ministries and state agencies, was mysteriously handed over to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov by notorious security agent Aleksei Petrov at the end of October and was unofficially published online days after.

Stanishev claimed he properly returned the report to DANS, as required by law. He also relinquished his immunity as a MP, in order to facilitate the proceedings.

In 2005-2009, Sergey Stanishev was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria leading a Cabinet of a three-way coalition made up of his Socialist Party, the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), and the National Movement for Stability and Prosperity (NSMP) of former Tsar and PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg.

In July 2009, Stanishev's Socialist Party was defeated in the general elections by Boyko Borisov's center-right party GERB.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!