"We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) insists on immediate personal disciplinary and criminal responsibility for the officials who ordered and carried out the illegal arrest of Blagomir Kotsev, as well as for an objective investigation of all nearly 640 illegal arrests, announced in a declaration from the parliamentary tribune, the co-chairman of the group, Nikolay Denkov.
We also demand an explanation from the prosecutor's office as to why, for the illegal arrest of Mayor Kotsev, as well as for all other arrests with the exception of the "Borisov" case, there is still not a single investigation started, he emphasized.
Denkov reminded that a few days ago the Sofia Regional Court declared illegal the 24-hour arrest of the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev. An arrest, followed by the scandalous five-month detention of Kotsev behind bars, based on dubious witness testimonies from dependent compromised persons, the MP added. The purpose of the illegal detention of Mayor Kotsev was clear - his removal as a democratically elected mayor of Varna, explained Nikolay Denkov. According to him, only the strong reaction of the citizens prevented its realization. In this case, as in many others, the institutions were used as a tool to achieve the political and economic interests of a group of mafiosi and oligarchs, and not to ensure order and justice for Bulgarian citizens, Denkov stated. And instead of being investigated by those responsible for this criminal abuse of power, which violated not only the law but also the human rights of the mayor of Varna and his family, we are faced with the "shameless, politically motivated double standard that is unfolding before the eyes of all Bulgaria".
According to data from the Ministry of Interior, in the last four years, nearly 640 police arrests for 24 hours have been declared illegal by the court. The arrest of Blagomir Kotsev is only one of these 640 cases, added Denkov.
All these cases, except one - the arrest of the leader of GERB, Boyko Borisov in 2022, are being ignored with silence, WCC-DB notes. For Borisov in recent years, there have been over 70 signals for corruption and abuse of power, which are left unaddressed, the declaration says. However, against the background of these 70 signals, the only thing that followed was the immediate indictment of Kiril Petkov, Prime Minister in 2022. A former Prime Minister is being investigated, but not a single official or police officer who committed a potential violation of the law in this case, stated Nikolay Denkov.