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Bulgarian MP renounces political immunity to allow investigation

Mon, Aug 10 2009 16:48 CET

byNick Iliev

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Bulgarian MP renounces political immunity to allow investigation

Photo: Красимир Юскеселиев

For the second time in his career, on August 7 2009, Blue Coalition Member of Parliament Ventsislav Vurbanov handed the National Assembly a declaration renouncing his political immunity.

He wanted the court case against him to be conducted quickly and effectively, Vurbanov said in a media statement.

Under the Bulgarian Constitution, no charges can be raised against an MP. However, Vurbanov wanted his immunity dropped, so that evidence could be evaluated and the case be resolved, in order for him to get on with his job, he said.

"I don't want my immunity to be an excuse for any speculation during my mandate" he said.

Vurbanov said that he put social interests above personal interests and that he did not want to take advantage of the system.

This was the second time in his career Vurbanov resorted to such measures. On January 31 2002, former prosecutor-general Nikola Filchev accused Vurbanov of taking part in illegal privatisation deals in the agriculture and food industries, while he was head of the State Fund Agriculture (SFA).

In June 2009, Bulgarian Prosecution accused Vurbanov that as Agriculture Minister during the period 1998-2001, he had not exercised sufficient control over the activities of the SFA, allegedly causing damages of almost 88 million leva.

The court case against Vurbanov was put on hold in June when Vurbanov announced we would stand for Parliament in the 2009 elections.

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