Ministry of Interior: The law will be applied equally to all. Over 200,000 euros seized for vote buying.

As Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, I clearly state that as long as I hold this position, the law will be applied equally to all citizens of the Republic of Bulgaria - regardless of their position, influence, or social status. This was written by the acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior in a Facebook post.

My responsibility is to the public, he also pointed out and added that while he bears it, he will not allow pressure, suggestions or political interests to replace the work of the police.

The law is not subject to negotiation. And anyone who tries to circumvent it - will face it, the Chief Secretary also said.

Kandev explained that today in the early hours of the day, together with colleagues from several regional directorates, they coordinated the conduct of specialized police operations on the territory of the country. In the midst of this work, I was urgently summoned for a hearing in the National Assembly, together with the Minister of Interior, Kandev pointed out.

He added that he is an employee of the Ministry of Interior “and as such will not allow the professional leadership of the Ministry of Interior to be involved in election campaigns“.

“While the hearing was ongoing, the actions on the ground were not interrupted. As a result of the operations carried out in different areas of the country, more than 200,000 euros were seized, for which there is evidence that they were intended for buying votes in the upcoming elections”, the Chief Secretary also pointed out.

Earlier today, at an extraordinary meeting, the parliament heard the caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev, the acting Chief Secretary of the department Georgi Kandev and the former director of the National Institute of Criminology Senior Commissioner Kremena Ilieva for what was done in the "Petrohan-Okolchitsa" case and the reshuffles in the Ministry of Interior. The hearing was requested by the parliamentary group “There is such a people”.

What necessitated the changes of heads of regional and district police departments explained to the deputies the acting Chief Secretary of the ministry Georgi Kandev. According to him, with 19 days remaining until the early parliamentary elections, 807 signals for electoral violations have been received, compared to 109 for the same period before the parliamentary elections in 2024. 218 investigations have been initiated, compared to 43 in 2024, 116 people have been arrested, compared to 28 in 2024. 1958 protocols were drawn up against 444 in 2024.