The Head of State said that he withdraws his trust from PlamenGeorgiev, the president of KPKONPI

“If we want to have a law-governed, democratic and prosperous state, we should fight top-level corruption.” This is what President Rumen Radev said today in reply to a question during the joint news conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is paying an official visit to Bulgaria.

Rumen Radev said that this is the reason why he convened a Consultative Council for National Security yesterday. “With the letters and demands for the reports that I require about this Council, I practically withdraw my trust from the president of the anti-corruption commission because I sent a letter demanding a report from his deputy. I think that this is the way it should be – until the truth is established via a full investigation, he should at least stand aside,” the Head of State was adamant.

Rumen Radev noted that the authorities in charge of observing whether there is corruption, should set an example of being clean. “We have a serious problem with public trust in statehood and by accepting resignations the parties say that the problem has been settled. The problem may be settled for the political parties, but it is not settled at the state level,” the President added.

The Bulgarian Head of State was adamant that if we want to have a really functioning rule-of-law state, we should approach everyone who has breached the law with the whole strictness of the law itself. “The relevant issue is that we should not only discuss at the CCNS what measures to apply in this respect, but also go deeper into what I have always insisted on – not only taking measures against the perpetrators, but also creating an environment that is uncompromising and does not allow corruption. This means transparency, accountability and responsibility of governance, clear mechanisms in decision making in government, full transparency in allocating public funds, open procedures with clear criteria and equal access for all,” the President emphasized.