Bulgaria protests decision to free ex-PM with no charges

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A prosecutor’s decision to release Bulgaria's former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov from custody without pressing any corruption charges against him prompted sharp criticism Saturday from Bulgaria’s government.

“We are faced with just the next sabotage on the part of the prosecution headed by (Chief Prosecutor) Ivan Geshev,” Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said at a briefing after midnight on Saturday.

The angry reaction came after the prosecution announced that it had found procedural flaws and Borissov’s detention could not be extended due to lack of evidence.

Police had detained Borissov, 62, on Thursday for 24 hours for an initial probe into allegations of extortion. He was taken into custody along with former Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov and Borissov’s media adviser, Sevdalina Arnaudova. All three were released without charge.

“Brutal, nasty, they brought us back to communism,” an emotional Borissov said immediately after his release from police custody to the loud cheers of supporters.

Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said Friday that authorities were working on a tip from fugitive businessman Vassil Bozhkov, who is currently on the run in Dubai and whose lucrative lottery business was nationalized in 2020. Based on his tip, financial inspectors had gathered evidence about 556 million leva (280 million euros) that allegedly didn’t go into the state budget under the watch of Borissov and his financial minister, who allegedly received more than 30 million euros in return.

Petkov was highly critical about the efforts of Bulgaria's prosecutors.

“Documents are being concealed that would lead to charges, which we can easily get hold of. Information provided by the extorted individual is also being withheld and ignored, to prevent a lawful...