SPIEGEL’s post was a shootout. Did Merkel “cut off” Boyko Borissov’s head?

Gen. Atanasov, the prestigious German publication SPIEGEL, published a scandalous publication about direct pressure from the Turkish government, under which people in the highest positions in Bulgaria bowed. Today an investigative journalist insisted that Bulgarian politicians worked for the Turkish embassy. SPIEGEL refers to a number of diplomatic grams in his research. As a former head of the National Security Service, how would you comment on this scandal and are you surprised by the revelations?

SPIEGEL is, in a sense, an official of the German government. That first. And secondly acquired grams cannot be owned by private structures because they do not have such abilities. This can only be the work of a special service, probably German intelligence. The interests must be very serious so that the information of a special service is used publicly. In principle, these things are not collected to be published in the newspapers. I will emphasize that to provide this information to SPIEGEL, in any case, it has been agreed at the governmental level. And here we come to the question: Did Ms. Merkel cut off Boyko Borissov’s head ?!

We saw that after the material came to light in SPIEGEL, former Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov reacted immediately by “throwing” the hot potato in the field of the Ministry of the Interior. There was also a reaction from Boyko Borissov, who spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. How do you explain this quick reaction on your part?

However, even if you don’t know, someone has explained what I told you. Tsatsarov’s reaction is very revealing. He is a competent lawyer and understood immediately what could happen. Because what SPIEGEL writes is the service of a foreign state, which is Chapter One of the special part of the Penal Code. That is a crime against the Republic.

For now, the prosecution is silent. But I imagine what would have happened if the name of President Rumen Radev had been mentioned in such a publication.

They would ask for immunity. But Ivan Geshev is on the move here. Now, everywhere he appears, even in the field, he has to ask journalists if he has filed a lawsuit against the SPIEGEL publication. That really should be the first question for him. This is a very serious scandal, because putting yourself at the service of a foreign country is a kind of espionage. And this is an extremely serious crime at the level of the Prime Minister and the Attorney General. It’s funny how most of the media is silent on this issue.

Is it a coincidence that this information is being mined right now?

Of course, no. But look at what happened in just one week – the US State Department report came out, laying down two killer sentences about Bulgaria. One is that corruption in our country is endemic and the second is that the judiciary is unable to combat it. In the EP, they were also “boosted”, as one MEP even called Borisov and Geshev “bandits”. In early October, a debate on the rule of law in Bulgaria took place in Brussels. At the same time, the publication SPIEGEL appeared.

What is all this?
This shows that there is a radical change in the attitude of our Western allies towards the government.

It is noteworthy that Europe has even overcome its characteristic diplomatic tone towards the rulers. Why, then, is Borisov fleeing his resignation?

Things are very simple. There is some money to distribute and they do not want to give to someone else. Billions must come along the line to fight the coronavirus. The whole story is about money. Through Borisov’s mouth it sounds like this: “From where to where not me, but someone else will distribute the money.” I constantly read “24 hours” because this is the propaganda machine of power. They took someone out to explain that protests had broken out and nothing was happening. Two days ago there was an extensive interview with Ivaylo Trifonov, Zhelyo Zhelev’s right hand man. I remember in the past constantly drinking in “Grozd” with his grandfather Lyuben Gotsev. So this Trifonov was brought out to say that the protests were almost “pure water” and to ignore them. Don’t skimp, of course, on praise for the government, no matter how big the job. So do all kinds of “vines” and “Haralanovs” who are constantly in the loophole defending the government. Ognyan Minchev says: “Safe from the communists.” Well, I am also concerned that in this situation the communists may become the first political force, but who is to blame for that ?! Had Boyko Borissov resigned in August, the process might have turned out differently. Now they go to hell. An acquaintance of mine commented that if “these are kept until the regular elections, they cannot enter parliament.”

Do you think a deal can be made with the Germans to quell the SPIEGEL scandal?

I had two meetings last week. One with the US Deputy Ambassador, who made it clear that he did not mind announcing our meeting. Two days later the head of the German Foundation Konrad Adenauer arrived, with whom we talked for two hours. I do not want to go into detail about the issues we have been discussing, but I can summarize briefly that our allies are aware that Borissov is coming to an end. Your questions are already related to what will happen from now on. This speaks of concern for the future of Bulgaria in the corps of our allied countries.

It is curious what is happening in the ranks of the EPP. Can Borissov count on your support?

In conversations with foreign representatives, I asked why the EPP buried its head in the sand about what is happening in our country. The response was diplomatic: “The fact that the EPP does not react at this time is a sufficient sign.” I mean, they wanted to tell you: “We are not defending it!” Nationwide, SPIEGEL’s post was simply a shootout.

Is the change due to protest?

Six months ago, no one thought that Boyko Borissov was a passenger in politics. Today everyone knows that it is over. And this is undoubtedly the result of the protest. It has a very serious result. All the major sociological agencies lean on power, but they also report that 60-70% of the people support the protest and its demands. This means only one thing: Boyko Borisov and Ivan Geshev must leave the game. One of the indirect reasons for the prime minister not resigning is not opening a direct front against the attorney general. If Borissov falls, the protest will move to the Palace of Justice. That is why the backstage ordered Borissov to stand guard for prosecutor №1.

Does this mean that Borisov is protecting Geshev?

In a sense, that is correct. After all, the main energy is now pouring into the political and government spectrum. Geshev and the prosecution remain on the sidelines for now. But they realize that if the prime minister falls, the front opens to them and the situation will become untenable. However, they delude themselves that they will get away with it.

Interview with Katya Ilieva