European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva has expressed feeling threatened by Delyan Peevski, the leader of the DPS-New Beginning party. In an interview with Capital, Georgieva revealed that she is under investigation by her colleagues in Luxembourg for recusing herself from the Chiren gas storage investigation, citing threats as the reason for her withdrawal. She clarified that the investigation has no connection to the leaked recordings attributed to Pepi Evroto, a figure linked to organized crime.
Georgieva recused herself from the Chiren case due to the threats she received while handling the indictment of a former Minister of Energy, currently head of Bulgartransgaz, Vladimir Malinov. While she did not name specific individuals, it is believed that Malinov was the target of the investigation, though he was unable to appear in court due to health issues. Georgieva stated that she felt pressured by Peevski, who is allegedly implicated by dismissed subcontractors in the case. These individuals accused him of exerting pressure to increase profit margins for a contractor company, leading to unrealistically low prices for the project.
The European prosecutor revealed that she had received warnings that compromising material would be made public if she pursued charges against the Minister of Energy. As a result, she stepped away from the case, which has been respected. Georgieva also explained that her actions were in line with the law, as the Bulgarian Code of Criminal Procedure grants her the same rights as any other prosecutor in the country, and she had informed the relevant authorities about her questioning of witnesses.
An administrative investigation has been launched into Georgieva's conduct following an unprecedented move by the European Chief Prosecutor's office. This marks the first such investigation into a member of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Last week, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office also initiated a separate inquiry into Georgieva for potential ties to Pepi Evroto, the fugitive lobbyist.
Georgieva’s involvement in the case gained media attention after a letter allegedly from Petyo Petrov aka "Pepi Evroto" surfaced, claiming he had given her monthly bribes of 10,000 leva (5,000 euros). Additionally, an anonymous email sent to the media featured a video clip purportedly showing Georgieva engaging in questionable conversations, accompanied by allegations of corruption.
In response, Delyan Peevski dismissed the accusations. He questioned whether Georgieva was referring to Pepi Evroto’s associate and asserted that the recordings about her were released because of her questionable rise to a European prosecutor role. Peevski claimed that Georgieva, a prosecutor appointed during the tenure of Kiril Petkov, had fabricated the threats against her, adding that she would be held accountable for her lies.
Peevski, who has been sanctioned for corruption by both the US and the UK, stated that he would file a complaint against Georgieva for defamation. Despite Georgieva’s claims, former banker Tsvetan Vassilev, who has close ties to Peevski, shared that the latter had once called Pepi Evroto a “brilliant freak” capable of fabricating damaging information. Vassilev also pointed out that Peevski maintained a database of compromising material, a point that further complicates the ongoing allegations and investigations.