Assasination attempt on Bulgarian chief prosecutor

A bomb attack was carried out on Bulgarian Chief Public Prosecutor Ivan Geshev's car convoy on Monday. According to the police, no one was injured. Geshev is a highly controversial figure: the protests in 2020 called for his removal and critics accuse him of protecting senior politicians from corruption investigations. His term of office runs until 2026.

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Deutsche Welle (BG) /

No compassion

Such incidents should be unequivocally condemned, writes the Bulgarian service of German broacaster Deutsche Welle:

“But instead, Bulgarians are divided in their views. Many couldn't care less - not even if this had been a terrorist act rather than a staged event. ... Many Bulgarians are so angry with Geshev that they are not even capable of feeling basic human compassion for him. In their view he's only capable of evil, and the presumed assassination attempt against him is not an attack on the state but simply exposes its rotten flesh.”

Trud (BG) /

Enemies' last resort

Geshev's opponents have now resorted to brutal means to get rid of him, Trud suspects:

“Removing the chief prosecutor through legal means proved impossible. The years of attempts to discredit him, even by bringing in foreign lobbyists, also failed. When it became clear that Geshev was not going to leave, as some parties and politicians would have liked, because all the deals and lies against him had failed, this was the last resort.”