"We catch them, they pardon them" – with these words, paraphrasing a former prime minister, "We Continue the Change" leader Asen Vassilev commented on a scandalous case in which Vice President Iliana Iotova released a convicted drug dealer ten years before the expiration of his sentence. During a briefing in parliament, he raised the question of why this happened and insisted that if Iotova cannot provide a clear explanation, she should immediately withdraw from the presidential race.
The case concerns Ognyan Atanasov, known in the public domain as the "Petrich Escobar." The individual was caught and sentenced by the Greek authorities to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking. Despite the heavy sentence, Vice President Iliana Iotova pardoned him with Decree No. 119 of December 5, 2022. The motives for the decision, as cited by Vassilev, were "a medical condition posing a danger to the petitioner's life, and it would be an act of inhumane treatment for him to remain in prison."
Vassilev highlighted several critical circumstances surrounding this act:
- The decree was not published in the "State Gazette";
- The motives for the pardon are not public;
- The entire procedure took place without the knowledge of Bulgarian citizens.
According to the PP leader, the health condition in question did not prevent the "Petrich Escobar" from resuming his criminal activities at the beginning of 2023 – just a month after his release from prison. Proof of this is the fact that in 2025 he was caught again, this time with five kilograms of cocaine. Vassilev also noted the contrast in the vice president's attitude, who did not perceive inhumane treatment in the case of Desislava Ivancheva, yet found it in the case of a convicted drug dealer.
In this regard, the political party is calling on all "decent people in her Initiative Committee to withdraw their signatures and support for her candidacy." Vassilev explained that the topic is being raised now because this is the first time since the incident that Iotova is seeking the voters' trust again. The PP leader was adamant that this is not a smear campaign, but the truth. Before Vassilev's statement, the topic of the pardoned drug dealer was also raised by Ivaylo Mirchev of "Yes, Bulgaria!"