The Prosecutor General faced for the first time a reporter from our site and lost his temper. He should get used to it.

In keeping with the tradition he established for his public appearances, Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov once again attacked Bivol. It happened at the press conference in the Sofia Investigation Services after Tsatsarov’s visit there on the occasion of the revelations made by investigator Boyko Atanasov in interviews for our site (see here, here and here).

After the irritable “some bull (bivol in Bulgarian means bull or buffalo – editor’s note) or a cow ” in an interview for Nova TV to whitewash the scandal “Yaneva Gate”, Tsatsarov stopped mentioning the name Bivol. In recent days, in his comments on Boyko Atanasov’s revelations, he has only called us an “online site”.

It is a classical for the psychoanalysis repression of the name of the unpleasant irritator in the subconscious. This, however, did not prevent him from saying, once he faced our questions that there was something wrong with the public image of Bivol.

Recently, the Prosecutor General had to remember that precisely Bivol exposed his heavy dependence from economic and political factors. We will not forget his morally unacceptable excuses for the strange property acquisitions revealed by Bivol before Tsatsarov was to become Prosecutor General. He was afraid at the time to stand face to face with us and answer specific questions, preferring to declare “normal” the improper real estate deals. Over the next years, Tsatsarov proved his inadequacy on numerous occasions, culminating with the refusal to carry out an independent probe in the case “Yaneva Gate”.

But all this pales compared to claims in a letter that only Bivol published and that need a thorough examination.

“Delyan Peevski gave Sotir Tsatsarov 5 million levs to pay Ahmed Dogan and thus ensure his election as Chief Prosecutor by the members of the Supreme Judicial Council associated with DPS. The meeting between Peevski and Tsatsarov was held at Hotel Berlin on December 20, 2012, is written in the letter, and it was recorded. The next day Tsatsarov met with the leader of the Socialists in Plovdiv Georgi Gergov, who mediated the deal. It is assumed that this meeting was also recorded.”

One of our questions was whether these allegations that Tsatsarov been chosen for his current post through a corruption deal have been verified. The Prosecutor General replied that such verification has been conducted and there was no such thing and he was ready to repeat it. Whether this is true, what is checked and what was (not) found remains to be seen.

For the first time during a public press briefing Tsatsarov was asked questions by a reporter of Bivol. We will try to turn this into a regular practice. We thank our colleagues from ClubZ for the accurate transcript which we reprint from their website.

Tsatsarov can continue to not mention us by name. But the fact is that Bivol is deeply embedded in his mind and will continue to kick him with muddy hooves. There are muddy after the many walks in the mafia-political swamp in which the Prosecutor occupies the temporary post of chief bogeyman.

From the briefing of Prosecutor General on February 24, 2016 (transcript ClubZ)

From Tsatsarov’s team: Colleagues, we will allow between three and five questions, with a view to efficiency. Welcome.

Journalist: I am Dimitar Stoyanov (D.S.), a representative of an online site…

Tsatsarov: Which site?

D.S.: Bivol

Tsatsarov: Mr. Stoyanov, why didn’t mention the name of the site?

D.S.: Because you never say it and I decided…

Tsatsarov: But see, if I say it, I think it would not be right because I will name a specific site. For you it is different…

D. S.: Fine…

Tsatsarov: And you should not be ashamed because of the site where you work…

D. S.: Not at all!

Tsatsarov: You represent Bivol. I am listening.

D. S.: So… Let’s go back to the question – I see that you practice burdening the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with probes (Tsatsarov recently asked SJC to probe the claims of investigator Atanasov –author’s note). When do you plan to ask SJC to probe the signal that you are in office due to a corruption deal?

Tsatsarov: Such probe was carried out – I’ve NOT taken office due to a corruption deal. This I can repeat to you. Other questions?

Sylvia Velikova from the State-owned Bulgarian National Radio (BNR): Mr. Tsatsarov, in terms of terminology, who did you recognize in Mr. Boyko Atanasov’s words?

Tsatsarov: If my memory serves me well, the word is used is “SWAT” and it is also used by one “Saturday” defendant.

S. Velikova: Well, it was his earlier interview…

Tsatsarov: I have not watched any of these interviews. So, if you think that I follow everything you are wrong. No offense, but I do not listen to you either.

S. Velikova: Thanks for that … One more question: Is there a case which, although against an unknown perpetrator – how many cases are there against an unknown perpetrator here, can you tell us? Is there a case against the Prime Minister, in a sense … (Boyko Atanasov says in media interviews that cases against unknown perpetrators simmer in the investigation to be reopened at any given time, individually, against ministers and even against the Prime Minister – author’s note)

Tsatsarov: No, I cannot tell you. There is no such case.

Dimitar Stoyanov from Bivol interferes again: And how in the last few days…

Tsatsarov: How many…

D. S.: Have been forwarded from the investigation to the prosecution lately?

Tsatsarov: The City Prosecutor is here, he can answer!

(Hristo Dinev starts to say something, but decides to keep silent – author’s note)

Tsatsarov after a short reflection: Wait a minute – do you really think that I have not discussed with these people who work in this building the thesis that the cases are launched, stopped and “there is a dirty little secret that reigns in the prosecution” (quotes again the words of Boyko Atanasov – author’s note)? You think I passed these people here over? … I can create a “SWAT” of six-seven people, right? But I cannot create one of 90 people. I can look them in the eye.

Then Tsatsarov, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov,  and Sylvia Velikova exchange remarks about the draft amendment to the Penal Procedural Code and the Prosecutor General reminds that it was the prosecution that has made proposals pre-trial proceedings be formed for specific crime, but not against a specific perpetrator and not against an unknown one .

Penka Angelova from the State-owned TV BNT: A particular person is considered defendant for two years and then the case is terminated – Atanasov points out specific problems in specific cases…

Dimitar Stoyanov from “Bivol”:  Like Mr. Bisserov…

Tsatsarov: Can Mr. Atanasov stand with concrete cases to support his words?

He mentions that the only concrete evidence that he has heard so far was the case against “someone named Emil Ivanov” (former MP in two Parliaments from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and former Regional Governor of Sofia, now Mayor of the town of Svoge – author’s note)

D. S.: What about the case known as “Air Force One” – it was also mentioned? (In an interview for Nova TV Boyko Atanasov mentioned it as a textbook example of a case against an “unknown perpetrator”, however it is known that it is against Prime Minister Boyko Borisov – author’s note.)

Tsatsarov: Yes?

D.S.: As such case (in the sense of a case used to blackmail politicians – author’s note)

Tsatsarov: Is this a question?

D. S.: Yes.

Tsatsarov: What is the question?

D. S.: Why wasn’t this case?

Tsatsarov: Because this is what his judgement was!

D. S.: Why isn’t there a concrete defendant? Provided that it was launched against…

Tsatsarov: You cannot expect that 100% of the cases that are launched will end up in court. It is…

D. S.: No…

Tsatsarov: I know that you do not expect such thing. I do not expect much from you, but I continue to put up with you.

Another journalist asks whether there are pre-trial proceedings for threats against controversial lawmaker Delyan Peevski and Prime Minister Borisov. The answer is that Peevski is not investigated and the evidence in his case has been simply separated from the case of the attack on Alexey Petrov.

Sylvia Velikova then asks a question about the case with the breaks of the car of right-wing MP being purposely damaged to which Tsatsarov refuses to provide any answer or comment.

D. S.: Didn’t you just miss another chance to clear the image of the Prosecutor’s Office by investigating this case?

Tsatsarov: I think that right at this moment you are missing the chance to clear Bivol’s image. Good day to all!

Storms out of the room

***

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