"I am not obligated to give an account of my whereabouts," was the explanation given by Emel Etem, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Chair of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish Party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), regarding the fact that she did not appear at the Sunday funeral of Ahmed Emin.

Emin, who was the Chief of Staff of the DPS leader Ahmed Dogan, was found dead by a gunshot wound Friday afternoon.

It was initially reported Sunday that Dogan was the only person from the DPS leadership who did not attend Emin's funeral, which was held in his native village of Kozitsa. It became clear later that Emel Etem has also missed the burial ceremony.

"This is a very unpleasant situation and a tragedy for Ahmed's relatives and for all of us - his friends and acquaintances, so we should stop being hysterical right now in order to not hurt his family even further," said Etem, adding that the authorities need to be left doing their work and finish the investigation, which was going to reveal the answers to the many questions regarding the incident.

Emin's body was found Friday afternoon in the Sofia neighborhood of Boyana, in the notorious estate, allegedly belonging to Dogan. So far the investigating prosecutor in the case of Emin's death has supported the initial version that it has been suicide. Emin was found shot with his own gun. The investigators also revealed Sunday that they have found a suicide note left by Emin, but the note's authenticity is yet to be confirmed.

However, Emin's father, the mayor of Emin's native village of Kozitsa Hassan Hayrula and other people close to Emin and who knew him well do not agree with the official suicide version.

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