The state prosecution led by Ivan Geshev on January 28 said it had evidence that a crime may have occurred.
This is the first time in the country’s recent history that the prosecution has expressed suspicion that the head of state has committed a crime.
Bulgaria’s President, Rumen Radev, condemned prosecution claims that he may have committed a crime related to conflicts of interest, accusing it devaluing important legal concepts and of “sensationalism”.
The alleged conflict of interest concerns Rumen’s wife, Desislava, and her appointment as a public relations official for the air force in 2011. She later married Radev in 2016.
The prosecution announcement included three recordings made in April 2019, two of which feature air force general Stoyko Tzankov, and one of which features a voice like Radev’s, discussing an earlier probe into Desislava’s appointment.
Prosecutor Geshev is a controversial figure. The sole candidate for the post in the autumn of 2019, President Radev vetoed his election, despite which Geshev later took office after a re-election.
