Bulgaria: former prime minister Borisov detained. Allegedly accused of misusing European funds. Protesters block central Sofia

(Sofia) Bulgaria’s former prime minister, Boyko Borisov, who has led the Balkan country for more than 12 years, was arrested by police in Sofia last night for allegedly misusing European funds. Mr Borisov, 62, has been a powerful man in Sofia until the spring of 2021 and is the leader of the centre-right GERB party, the largest opposition party in Bulgaria. Former finance minister, Vladislav Goranov, and Borisov’s media adviser, Sevdalina Arnaudova, are also in custody. According to unconfirmed reports, a large-scale operation is being conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bulgaria in connection with over 120 cases, amounting to 550 million lev (Bulgarian currency). “No one is above the law in Bulgaria”, said current Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in a post on his social media account, who just yesterday met with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Koevesi. Meanwhile, GERB supporters led by GERB MPs have taken to the streets to protest, blocking central Sofia. According to GERB, their leader’s arrest “is political repression”. The top priority for Petkov’s government, elected in November, is “zero tolerance for corruption”.
Iva Mihailova