- Title: Prosecutor raids on Bulgarian president's offices draw public anger
- Date: 9th July 2020
- Summary: SOFIA, BULGARIA (JULY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) BULGARIAN PRESIDENT RUMEN RADEV AND VIDE-PRESIDENT ILIYANA YOTOVA WALKING OUT OF PRESIDENCY BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (BULGARIAN) BULGARIAN PRESIDENT, RUMEN RADEV, SAYING: "Let's throw 'the mafia' out of the prosecutor's office, which it is using in the most ruthless way as a shield for itself and for political repression." RADEV GREETING PEOPLE IN CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (BULGARIAN) BULGARIAN PRESIDENT, RUMEN RADEV, SAYING: "We continue until full victory. Thugs out!" VARIOUS OF PE/."OPLE GATHERING OUTSIDE PRESIDENCY BUILDING MAN WAVING EU FLAG PEOPLE MARCHING, SHOUTING "RESIGNATION" IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SHOUTING "MAFIA OUT" PEOPLE CHANTING "RESIGNATION" PEOPLE MARCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, ATANAS MALEEV, SAYING: "He (the Bulgarian president) came out for the first time, a public figure came out and said clearly: 'Let's take out the mafia from the government, let's take out the mafia from the state attorney's office.' Because this is the biggest problem, we have a completely taken state." PEOPLE SHOUTING "RESIGNATION" IN FRONT OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE PEOPLE MARCHING VARIOUS OF POLICE STANDING GUARD IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) PROTESTER, KALINA VASILEVA, SAYING: "The thugs have owned Bulgaria for over 25 years, they have been always in power and today they've allowed themselves to enter the presidency, the day before they abused the national flag." MAN SHOUTING "RESIGNATION" IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING DURING DEMONSTRATION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERING IN FRONT OF PRESIDENCY BUILDING POLICE STANDING GUARD IN FRONT OF BUILDING
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2020 22:04
- Keywords: Bulgaria Bulgarian President Bulgarian government Rumen Radev protest rule of law
- Location: SOFIA, BULGARIA
- City: SOFIA, BULGARIA
- Country: Bulgaria
- Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001CM39PH5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Prosecutors raided the offices of two of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev's staff on Thursday (July 9) as part of investigations, prompting thousands to take to the streets of Sofia later in protest at their action.
Many protesters saw the showy raids as an attack on the head of state and accused prosecutors of deliberately delaying probes into the country's graft-prone political elites and local oligarchs.
Radev tried to block the appointment of the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev last year, amid popular protests that Geshev would do little to tackle high-level corruption in Bulgaria, which is ranked as the most corrupt member state in the European Union by Transparency International.
Prosecutors said on Thursday they searched the offices of Radev's secretary on legal affairs and anti-corruption and his advisor on security and defence as part of two separate probes into influence peddling and disclosure of state secrets.
(Production: Stoyan Nenov) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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