Bulgarian MP Gives Up Immunity to Face Vote Buying Charges

Bulgarian lawmaker Iliya Iliev has agreed to be stripped of his immunity as MP to face criminal prosecution.

Earlier, the prosecuting authority demanded his immunity over vote-buying allegations relating to the 2014 early general election.

Iliev purportedly organized a campaign to draw up lists with personal data of the residents of a Roma neighborhood in the town of Yambol.

The idea was to hand out money to the neighborhood's residents in return for their vote, according to the prosecution. Iliev himself was running of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS)'s ticket.

Allegedly, Iliev offered one of the witnesses BGN 2000 to shift the vote in the neighborhood in his favour.

In March, Iliev agreed to have his immunity revoked in relation to embezzlement charges.

The immunity lifting procedure only applies to a particular charge the respective MP is facing.

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