Acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov requests lifting of Kiril Petkov's immunity

Acting Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov has asked Parliament to lift the immunity of Kiril Petkov, an MP and co-leader of the People's Party (PP). The reason is the arrest of GERB leader Boyko Borissov in 2022, which was later declared illegal by the court, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office.

• Police hold GERB leader Boyko Borissov in custody for 24 hours
• Court dismisses requests to approve searches of Borissov, Goranov and Arnaudova homes
• Borissov's arrest is not based on signal from European Public Prosecutor's Office

The statement said that Petkov, as prime minister, had "exceeded his authority" by illegally ordering the opening of pre-trial proceedings in violation of the Criminal Procedure Code. Furthermore, as Prime Minister, he had asked the investigating police officers to conduct an interrogation with himself, without ever informing the competent prosecutor. He also ordered the search and seizure of the homes of three Bulgarian citizens, including Borissov, without the permission of the competent court and in the dark of night, on the grounds that there was no urgency in the case.