Bulgaria RZS Rank-Breaking MP Reported Missing

The leader of the Law, Order and Justice (RZS) party, Yane Yanev, reported Saturday that he was very much worried about the life and safety of his former MP, Mario Tagarinski.

On Friday, the Member of the Parliament from RZS, Mario Tagarinski, announced he was leaving the RZS parliamentary group. The move leads to the group’s falling apart since it now has 9 members instead of the required minimum of 10. According to the new General Assembly rules, the 9 RZS MPs can not join another group and would now function as independent MPs.

Yanev said Saturday that Tagarinski is missing and no one knew anything about him – his cell phone has been turned off since 4 pm Friday, calls to his home remain unanswered and no one answered the door when MPs went to his house.

The RZS leader further voiced his suspicion that this might be a political abduction, pointing out Tagarinski had not submitted his request to leave the RZS group in person, but it was done by one of his assistants.

Yanev continues to insist Tagarinski had been loyal to him and the party and claims the whole case is staged to deal the conservative party a blow because it recently raised alarm about the emergence of a new “coalition” between the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party and Socialist President, Georgi Parvanov.

“Tagarinski knows very well that RZS is a solid project with solid international political investments on the part of European conservatives and reformists,” Yanev is quoted as saying.

Mario Tagarinski is said to have been in the plenary hall until 1 pm Friday, had even acted as a moderator of the RZS policies and had signed the declaration criticizing the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva.

“Today I asked a team of experts including former Head Secretary of the Interior, Gen. Iliev and two former high-ranking employees of the National Agency for State Security (DANS) to begin an investigation and find out what happened to Tagarinski,” Yanev informs.

The RZS leader further appeals to Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, to call a State-wide search for Tagarinski and says he will ask the Chief Prosecutor’s help as well.

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