The Bulgarian representative in the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Teodora Georgieva, is under scrutiny as the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an anti-corruption review following allegations of her involvement with a controversial lobbyist.
The investigation was prompted by an anonymous email sent to media outlets, which included a video featuring a lobbyist discussing the European Prosecutor’s Office with an unidentified woman. The accompanying letter alleged that the woman in the video was Teodora Georgieva and that the lobbyist was Petyo Petrov, also known as Euro.
Petyo Petrov, a former head of an influential investigative service in Sofia, has been accused of orchestrating a vast criminal network aimed at influencing the judiciary, police, and other state institutions.
He has been missing for two years after being declared wanted in a criminal case involving the concealment of a significant amount of gold belonging to a Bulgarian businessman.
The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the investigation into Georgieva has been assigned to the Commission for Combating Corruption.
Instructions have been given to identify persons who could be related to what is shown in the video and to download information from them.
Allegations and intimidation
Investigative journalist Nikolay Staykov from the Anti-Corruption Fund suggested that the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office may have obtained Petyo Petrov’s secret archive, which is rumoured to contain compromising information on hundreds of magistrates.
Staykov described the leaked video as a deliberate attempt to intimidate Georgieva, who recently gave an interview criticising Bulgarian institutions for obstructing high-value investigations conducted by the European Prosecutor’s Office.
In her interview two weeks ago, Georgieva highlighted the challenges faced by the European Prosecutor’s Office in Bulgaria, accusing local institutions of undermining investigations worth hundreds of millions of euros. Her remarks have drawn significant attention, particularly in light of the ongoing allegations against her.
The case has raised concerns about the integrity of Bulgaria’s judicial system and the influence of powerful lobbyists. As the investigation unfolds, the focus will be on whether the allegations against Georgieva are substantiated and how they might impact the European Prosecutor’s Office’s operations in Bulgaria. The case also underscores the broader challenges of combating corruption and ensuring the independence of judicial and prosecutorial systems in the region.
The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has yet to release further details, but the case has already sparked a heated debate about accountability, transparency, and the rule of law in Bulgaria.
