Bulgarian MP Indicted over Hooliganism, Obstruction of Police

The Bulgarian prosecuting authority has filed an indictment against Aleksandar Metodiev, a lawmaker from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS).

The development for which he is being put on trial dates back from May. Metodiev agreed in July to have his immunity lifted at the prosecution's request in order to face criminal prosecution.

Metodiev allegedly ignored a police stop baton after committing a traffic violation. He shortly returned, but only to intervene as officers were writing a ticket to a member of the Roma football team of Samokov (his hometown), according to the prosecution.

The lawmaker was informed by a member of a team, whose van was stopped by the same police officers, that one of them did not have identity documents with him and was being issued a ticket.

Metodiev then allegedly tried to settle the affair with the local police chief over the phone, but as the latter declined his request, returned to the site.

He showed his MP card to police officers, insulting and intimidating them and subsequently demanding that they give him all the tickets they had written during their shift, an instruction they did not comply with.

Metodiev, who is also known in his hometown and in the media as "Bat Sali", sparked controversy in 2014, when his election to Parliament triggered protests in his constituency of Kyustendil.

Metodiev made it into the legislature with the help of expat votes for his DPS party, some of which were transferred to the region, even though the DPS had only mustered 800 votes from locals.

The biggest party GERB, on the other hand, had 21 000, but it also earned a single lawmaker in Kyustendil.

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