Petyo Petrov, outgoing head of the Sofia Investigative Service, has asked permission to leave the judicial system.

At the beginning of Thursday’s meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov announced that he had received Petrov’s letter of resignation, adding that he had asked to leave the judicial system as of April 5, according to reports of the Legal World magazine, as cited by Sega daily.

Petrov told journalists that he was resigning for personal reasons and that his decision had nothing to do with the probe launched at the entity after the final acquittal of the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS) on the bribery case against former Defense Minister Nikolay Tsonev, former Finance Ministry official Tencho Popov, and judge Petar Santirov.

Petrov resigned from the post of head of the Sofia Investigative Service in early February, after the publication of the final acquittal of VKS on the bribery case.

He has been on a leave since the beginning of February, according to reports of mediapool.bg.

Under the ruling of VKS, Petrov, a key witness of the prosecuting authority in the case against Tsonev, Popov, and Santirov, provoked the defendants to pay a bribe.

After VKS came up with a ruling on the case, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation launched a probe into the matter upon Petrov’s request.

It is unclear whether the inspection of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation has been wrapped up.