In a live online broadcast from the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria reporting what was done during the additional 10th month of the regular government and to make a final assessment before the transfer of power to the caretaker government, the Prime Minister in resignation Academician Nikolay Denkov answers questions from citizens and the media.
About the special operation of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Anti-corruption Commission in the Bulgarian National Customs Agency, PM Denkov said:
I asked for information from the chairman of SANS, he said that I need permission from the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office.
Nikolay Denkov stood up for the head of Customs, Petya Bankova, stating that she has an impeccable reputation and gave an example of her successful actions to capture drugs.
Since Mrs Petya Bankova was appointed to the National Customs Agency, we have had a record amount of drugs seized. It is very strange to me that she should be accused of covering up drug channels. It is very important to understand what is happening, so that it does not turn out that, as in the movies, she is attacked because she is doing her job.
Let's see what charges there are. If there is evidence, of course, she will have to bear some responsibility, Denkov also stated.
There have been rumours circulating in the media for a long time that SANS is covering up drug channels. It is the job of the services to check these signals and tell if they are true or not. I have said many times that there is "blindness" at SANS, said Nikolay Denkov.
About the resignation of Zhivko Kotsev as Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, PM said:
Zhivko Kotsev is under serious pressure from the Minister of Internal Affairs, he has been telling me for months that he is under pressure to leave because he cannot work with Kalin Stoyanov. When in an institution people cannot work as a team, the situation becomes very difficult.
This is what the resigned Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said in response to questions from citizens. Earlier today, Kotsev resigned citing "personal reasons".
I don't particularly trust Kotsev because of some things that happened, the prime minister explained but did not specify exactly what.
Except for two ministers, I would propose the same composition of the Council of Ministers. This cabinet is not mine, it was put together in 10 days with the leaders of the parties, Maria Gabriel and myself. Maria Gabriel proposed culture, education, innovation and growth, tourism, and the Ministry of the Interior was first mentioned by Borisov. Iolovski appeared as a proposition from Bozhidar Bojanov, they had worked together. We do not have a majority to ensure the replacement of these ministers, and all the time I had to consider this, because we are 1/4 of the National Assembly, and we cannot ensure a majority to make decisions. I had to take into account this conjuncture, if it were up to me, I would have changed them a long time ago, that's why we waited for the rotation (Alexander Iolovski and Kalin Stoyanov, editor's note).
It was difficult to work with both of them, Yolovsky was threatened by someone, it was not clear by whom, it was impossible to talk to him about anything other than his direct work; now it is heard that the Ministry is in a very bad state from a personnel point of view, officials say that there was pressure, the prime minister explained.
Yolovski served Peevski and GERB admirably in ensuring that there was no machine voting in the first round of the elections, I hear that he would have remained in office now - this is a sign that there may not be fair elections, Denkov also said.
Why is it being hidden whether Martin Bojanov-Notariusa was an employee of the state, since he is dead, what does it matter if it is kept a secret, asked the prime minister.
I think people from We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB) have no place in office. We learned the lesson since the 48th National Assembly when we saw that if there is no clear program of what needs to be done, there is no room for negotiations at all. The government fell because there was no willingness to sign an agreement on how to make decisions, Denkov also said. I don't have a problem communicating with Maria Gabriel, it's a problem when the person standing opposite says: I don't have a mandate to make this decision, and we heard this line many times in the negotiations with the 4 ladies from GERB.
Bulgaria's problem is called Delyan Peevski
There is no chance that WCC-DB will form a government with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Peevski is currently the biggest evil that is happening in Bulgaria because it was he who started commanding the trials. He started commanding GERB he wanted elections, and we are going to elections because of him. We are well aware, that Bulgaria's current problem is Peevski, added Denkov.
Stay tuned for more details. /BGNES
