As an urban legend from over a year ago has it, at every attempt to put the reform of the judiciary on the Government agenda, Chief Prosecutor Tsatsarov would burst into Prime Minister Borissov’s office and shout: “You want a reform? You want a Romanian model to fight corruption in the high tiers? I am ready to open 10 court cases against your ministers, and yourself. Your favourite Moskov will be first and then Nenchev.”
So, the reform of the judiciary was thwarted. Meanwhile the Prime Minister was more concerned about a football game with the Bistritsa Tigers amateurs than the amendments to the Constitution and the resignation of his Minister of Justice, who, when stepping down, pronounced that “Bulgaria is a prosecutor’s Republic”. Today Borissov himself has resigned and…what a surprise! The first Ministers in Tsatsarov’s list for prosecution are…Moskov and Nenchev. A coincidence? Hardly.
But let us go further back in time, to the summer of 2013. According to another urban legend, Peevski was nominated as the head of SANS as he promised to arrest Borissov and Tsvetanov within two days. He would spread them on the floor, handcuff them and take them into custody in front of the whole world. There was also the ultimatum: “If you do not appoint Peevski by vote, the Cabinet is history.” Another fact we seem to remember is precisely that Peevski’s first meeting was with Tsatsarov. A coincidence? Hardly.
Let us go even a little further back, to the spring of 2013. A crisis was brewing, followed by public protest and Borissov’s first resignation. The recommencement of the dormant case against the former head of the NRA, Mrs. Maria Murgina, was an important step in the formation of the “expert cabinet” CTB (Corporate Thieves Band). Yet another urban legend tells of tapped conversations, made by the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime GDBOP during an action. Actually, by its Director Vanio Tanov himself. Sadly, he is not with us after his very sudden demise. These tapes allegedly contained recorded instructions by Oresharski in his capacity of Minister of finance of the Triple Coalition (2005-2009), in which he gave orders to Mrs. Murgina to cover for some people and help them fix their VAT and not to take care of others. Allegedly, there is also mention of on whose orders he was acting. The case was closed recently, after Oresharski obeyed the latest order, namely to take part in the race for President. A coincidence? Hardly.
We do not maintain here, in this text, that these legends are truths. However, they paint a very clear picture of our Prosecutor’s state, managed by baseball bats according to legends. Bats in the hands of the media or prosecution, or political, economic and other. One of those legends told of fake ballot papers. It later became reality, robbing the citizens of their own state in an election fiasco. Another myth referring to majority elections won by complete majority in two rounds went through its legitimisation stage with the same purpose. Entangled and enslaved by a web of their own complete dependence on power, money, criminal and/or State Security files, the same people keep tossing between them the fate of this unfortunate territory and we are left to the dogs.
This is the way it was and the way it will continue to be until some new faces emerge, without dependences or skeletons in their cupboards. They will not succumb to prosecutor’s or media baseball bats. They will not be scared. It is high time they came.
