Bulgarian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the suspected misuse of European Union funds, following the brutal slaying of a television reporter who highlighted possible government corruption.
Television reporter Viktoria Marinova, whose strangled body was found Saturday(Oct,6), hosted a show last month where the EU funds fraud was reported by the investigative online site Bivol.bg.
Officials in Bulgaria say a suspect in the rape and killing of an investigative journalist has been arrested in Germany.
Bulgaria’s prosecutor general, Sotir Tsatsarov, confirmed the arrest of Severin Krasimirov(21), a Bulgarian citizen, but gave no further details.
Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said investigators had found DNA evidence on the clothes and body of Viktoria Marinova, who was raped and killed on Saturday in Ruse.
On an official briefing with Interior Minister Mladen Marinov and Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov on 10th of October, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov criticised the rush for publishing information about the investigation of the brutal murder of journalist Viktoria Marinova.
This could have led to the concealment of belongings, the concealment of the perpetrator, and there would have been nothing to talk about today.
Revealing any information related to the investigation could have led to failure, the prime minister said.
(SNA)
Bulgaria continues to fall in the World Press Freedom Index and is ranked lower than any other European Union member. Although the current holder of the European Council’s rotating presidency (until the end of June 2018), Bulgaria is now lower in the Index than all the countries in the western Balkans, some of which are candidates for EU membership. Corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs is widespread. Bulgaria ranks 111th out of 180 countries in RSF's annual World Press Freedom index for 2018.
Recently Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has announced plans to return to Romania and Bulgaria amid growing concern about a reversal in democratic gains and attacks on the rule of law and the judiciary in the two EU and NATO members.
We discuss the above recent developments with Alexandar Detev, Bulgarian journalist in Vienna, Austria.
