Pistol and gold: photos put pressure on Borisov
Bulgarian media have received unverified photos showing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov asleep in bed with a pistol next to him on the bedside table and a draw full of 500 euro notes and gold bars. Borisov has said this is an attempt by his political opponents to incriminate him. He won't be sleeping that peacefully any time soon, commentators note.
A convincing denial
German broadcaster Deutsche Welle's Bulgarian service approves of the way Borisov has handled the issue:
“At the press conference the prime minister showed us all how to behave when compromising material turns up. ... Such affairs undermine trust in the government and require a quick response, regardless of whether the story is true or not - followed by a request for the rapid investigation of the case. From the press conference we learned that the photo really does show Borisov, that it was taken in his house in Boyana, and that someone was rummaging through his bedside table [and put the 500 euro notes and gold bars in there]. This version sounds convincing enough. Either way, the 'compromising' photos look like a vulgar attempt at intimidation.”
That's what working with the mafia gets you
For Duma, the photos bear the stamp of the mafia:
“Borisov and his entourage have messed up so much over the years that they should have thrown in the towel long ago. However, we obviously do not live in a normal country, and apparently someone believes Borisov should take his leave in a different way, namely the way it's done in the mafia. ... The photo of Borisov sleeping has a message all its own. And judging by Borisov's nervous and chaotic press conference, it's a message he's understood very well indeed. He's afraid, and not without reason. But he should have thought about the kind of people he was getting involved with earlier on.”