A week after former interior minister Roumen Petkov celebrated his 47th birthday, Alexander Petrov, the head of Petkov's former political cabinet decided to resign. The news was announced on June 30 2008 on the ministry's website without further details.

Petrov was not the only high-ranking ministry official to submit their resignation, with Deputy Interior Minister Goran Yonov, the former ambassador to Sweden, filing one as well. Yonov did not give a reason for his resignation either.

Petrov's name appeared in the media when it became clear that he had a pre-trial investigation led him in his capacity as member of the State Gambling Committee in 2006. The case was terminated by the General-Prosecutor's Office for the lack of evidence.

He was part of the row that led to Petkov's resignation when he appeared in a police investigation into alleged custom fraud. A phone call conversation tabbed by the police mentioned Petrov as “the man of the lighter guy”. Petkov, according to media speculation, was the "lighter guy" and he himself has said that he was known for his habit to carry three to four lighters in his pocket.

The resignations come almost two months after Petkov resigned from office following his admission that he had unauthorised meetings with controversial businessmen who were under police investigation. He was succeeded by fellow Bulgarian Socialist Party member Mihail Mikov who promised to form his own team.

A number of Petkov's appointees have left the ministry since Mikov took over. First was the ministry's chief secretary Valentin Petrov (no relation), who was accused by a former ministry employee as protecting drug trafficking in Bulgaria, following the arrest of Montenegrin-born alleged drug boss Budimir Kujovic. Nothing was proved.

Second was Vesselin Petrov (no relation), the head of the ministry's National Police Service (NPS).