Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva accused European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi of lying regarding some of the claims she made in an interview on bTV's "120 Minutes" show, broadcast a week ago. In a right-of-reply sent to the media, Georgieva states that Kövesi spoke of "pressure" from the Bulgarian government during her appointment as European Prosecutor without any evidence.
"My appointment was carried out in accordance with European Union Regulation and applicable national procedures and constitutes a valid and final institutional act, confirmed through the competent EU mechanisms. Therefore, the claim of 'pressure' is not true," Georgieva points out, adding that all questions related to her appointment should be directed to the appointing authority – the Council of the EU.
A week ago, Laura Kövesi told bTV that the violations committed by the European Prosecutor from Bulgaria were so serious that a request to initiate a procedure for her removal had been made. She rejected Georgieva's own version that she had become the subject of intimidation and a smear campaign because she was conscientiously doing her work on European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) investigations in Bulgaria, including the case regarding the expansion of the "Chiren" gas storage facility.
The European Chief Prosecutor commented that the video recording of Teodora Georgieva in the company of the wanted former investigator Petyo Petrov – known as "The Euro" and linked to the "Eight Dwarfs" judicial influence scheme – is relevant to the way Georgieva was appointed as a European Prosecutor. Kövesi also recalled that Georgieva was selected by the Bulgarian government, even though she ranked third in the competition.
Following the circulation of the video featuring Georgieva and Petyo The Euro, Laura Kövesi launched an unprecedented administrative investigation into potential violations by the Bulgarian European Prosecutor. Subsequently, Georgieva launched an active media campaign and filed a report alleging pressure and threats against her. According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, the report is against representatives of the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office and a political leader sanctioned for corruption by the US and the UK – a description that matches the profile of the leader of DPS-New Beginning, Delyan Peevski.
According to Kövesi, following these events, the European Public Prosecutor's Office began considering a second disciplinary proceeding against Georgieva – a move that has had no precedent until now. Teodora Georgieva, however, disputes this. She claims that the allegation that the College of the European Public Prosecutor's Office has engaged in disciplinary proceedings against her for a second time is not true.
"The claim that I was unanimously proposed for dismissal is not true, as there were abstaining prosecutors. The College voted to suspend the disciplinary proceeding and send it to the Commission, the Council, and the Parliament to exercise their right of discretion as to whether to make such a proposal to the Court of Justice of the European Union," states Georgieva.
According to her, the disciplinary panel, composed of former judges from the Court of Justice of the EU, only proposed the imposition of a disciplinary "reprimand," without recommending her removal from office or the imposition of the most severe sanction. She emphasizes that due to confidentiality requirements, she cannot disclose the factual allegations regarding the violations, but insists that the EPPO disclose the facts and actions that it claims constitute violations, given the strong public interest and the numerous speculations.
Laura Kövesi's interview prompted DPS leader Delyan Peevski to attack Teodora Georgieva and demand that her security detail be removed. At the same time, GERB leader Boyko Borisov tried to distance himself from the case surrounding her appointment, despite the fact that Georgieva was chosen as a European Prosecutor during his administration.