Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev announced today that he is resigning. After which he tore off his resignation letter and announced that he was not afraid. He did this in the Sofia Courthouse at a special briefing, his deputies were next to him, without Borislav Sarafov.

Geshev's refusal to resign means that the Supreme Judicial Council will have to deal with the proposal of six members of the prosecutor's collegium for his removal due to the impairment of the prestige of the judiciary.

Geshev hinted that he had been warned to submit his resignation by 10 a.m. today and was threatened that otherwise someone would press the "enter" button. He declined to name who tipped him off, but when he gets evidence, he will reveal it.

The chief prosecutor did not answer a single journalistic question and announced that he had called on his deputy, Borislav Sarafov, to resign, because of the betrayal of the Bulgarian people. And that if he doesn't, he will file a motion for his release tomorrow.

"Yesterday I was invited to resign by 10 o'clock. Someone will press the button for some videos, so I should comply. There were also lyrical deviations that if I'm alone on the rock, and there's a wind blowing... I'm not afraid. As much as it sounds like a cliché. The coward dies every day and the brave only once," said Geshev, quoting judge Giovanni Falcone.

"Politics has to come out of the judiciary, where until now it tried to some degree to carefully guide it in the interests of its own vested interests. And now it is not doing it like that, not morally. It all started months ago, when I received a proposal, veiled, they said it was from Boyko Borissov, to become ambassador to Israel or Turkey, or to have a career in his party. I didn't take it seriously," said Geshev, who, after tearing off his resignation, began listing the things he is proud of from his mandate.

Geshev announced that the explosion next to his car on the first of May was an assassination attempt and a targeted attempt to kill him. "I was in shock, I needed time. It was an attempt to kill me. The truth about this will come to light, the experts will prove it. International experts will be involved in the investigation," the chief prosecutor also stated.

"On Monday morning, a friend of mine, close to GERB from the country, told me that the person Boyko Metodiev Borissov called and asked where my family was, it was in a friendly country, with a friendly prosecutor's office. He advised me to stop talking. I thought something was wrong with this person. Then I saw a statement by my deputy Borislav Bobi Sarafov, who apologized to me, but said that there was nothing else he could have done," Geshev added.

"I recount many conversations I had with politicians, members of the SJC and magistrates. I had them in the US and in my house," Geshev continued and explained how he spoke to people from whom he found out that the request for his removal was only with the purpose of resigning.

Geshev cited a message he received from an administrative supervisor who said he was sorry. The Prosecutor General called him to ask what he was sorry for. The magistrate explained that he was forced by Borislav Sarafov to issue a statement.

According to Geshev, he has received support from administrative heads from several appellate districts, citing Varna and Veliko Tarnovo, who have announced that they will not participate in Borislav Sarafov's coup attempts.

"For me, the only important thing is to work for the Bulgarian citizens. I will finish my mandate, regardless of everything that I described. I received a message from one of my colleagues, a prosecutor. Hello Ivan, we are former classmates. He wrote to me that he received instructions for me to close the Barcelonagate case by the week. Interesting fact," said Geshev.

According to him, it is time to sweep away this "political garbage" and reiterated that he will complete his mandate, in the name of the security of the Bulgarian citizens. "I have the support of my colleagues, believe me. The prosecutor's office is united, well, there is always one rat and a few mice. It even took them a while to come out after the pressure the prosecutor's office is under," said Geshev.

The SJC will have to deal with Geshev's removal

On May 12, six members of the prosecutor's collegium at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) requested his removal due to a serious breach of official duties. A day earlier, GERB's candidate for Prime Minister, Mariya Gabriel, announced that if she takes office, she will ask the Minister of Justice in her cabinet to request Geshev's release. The same day DPS supported her intention.

In the reasoned request signed by Georgi Kuzmanov, Ivan Stoev, Kalina Chapkanova, Gergana Mutafova, Ognyan Damyanov and Svetlana Boshnakova to the plenary session of the SJC, the supporters of Geshev until recently, justified the request for his removal with events that followed the explosion next to a car from the motorcade of the main prosecutor on May 1.

The six members of the prosecutor's collegium recalled the statement of Geshev's deputy and director of the National Investigation Service Borislav Sarafov, who said that during the inspection, Yasen Todorov brought an Israeli expert to the scene of the accident on the instructions of the chief prosecutor. Their motives are related to the visit of the Israeli expert in question to the scene of the accident at the behest of Geshev.

Borissov replied to Geshev: I have not called anyone, I have not sent any notes

"I can note several things from Ivan Geshev's speech - I did not hear Rumen Radev, I did not hear Hristo Ivanov, I did not hear Atanas Atanasov, I did not hear Kiril Petkov, I did not hear Asen Vassilev, I did not hear 'Vazrazhdane', BSP, DPS or TISP. It's only me to blame - that's what I understood. How and in what position will I offer an ambassadorship? I have not spoken to or called any prosecutor, except him, when the assassination happened, to express my sympathy, concern and request that they find the perpetrators." Thus, GERB leader Boyko Borissov commented on the words of the chief prosecutor, who pointed out: "I received an offer, they said it was from Boyko Borissov - to become an ambassador or possibly have a political career, perhaps in his party."

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