Bulgaria: Peevski’s Pressure Pushes Kiselova to Expedite Immunity Lift for MPs

Politics | January 22, 2025, Wednesday // 12:17|  views

Lena Borislavova, a member of the "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) party, waived her parliamentary immunity this morning, fulfilling a promise made in December. She had committed to doing so after the holiday break. This move comes after Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova presented a proposal to lift the immunities of Borislavova and two other members of the "Democracy, Rights and Freedoms" (DPS-Dogan) party—Jeyhan Ibryamov and Mario Rangelov. Surprisingly, Kiselova recommended that the plenary session directly decide on the matter, bypassing the usual committee procedures.

Borislavova linked her decision to pressure from Delyan Peevski, leader of DPS-New Beginning, and expressed hope that her action would allow for a smoother investigation into the charges against her. She also suggested that the Prosecutor General would now be able to investigate freely, without interference. She highlighted the urgency with which her case had been treated, noting that the same vigilance had not been applied to other high-profile investigations, such as those involving the Corpbank (KTB) thefts or the "Eight Dwarfs" scandal.

Delyan Peevski responded to questions about his role in the matter, denying that he had directly threatened Kiselova. However, he predicted that GERB, BSP, and other political groups would block the removal of immunity from MPs involved in criminal activities. Peevski also pointed out that the immunity requests for Borislavova and Rangelov had been pending since December, when the Prosecutor General had first made the requests. He expressed frustration over the delay, prompting an unusual letter from Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov to Kiselova asking for clarification on the status of the immunity removals.

Regarding the handling of immunity cases, Peevski noted that Kiselova had taken the initiative to bring the matter to the plenary without forming a committee. He also confirmed that he had warned he would file a report against her if the issue was not addressed. In a separate exchange, Peevski responded defensively to accusations regarding his influence over the election of the chairperson for the Sofia City Court, dismissing them as baseless claims from media sources he labeled "Soros-based."

In addition, the Judicial College of the Supreme Judicial Council elected Rusi Aleksiev as the new Chairman of the Sofia City Court.

Source: Club Z and BOEC


Tags: Peevski, Kiselova, immunity

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