I will not remain silent when the name of the APB is used as a backdrop for personal drama and self-promotion. The APB is not a backdrop and is not a springboard for someone's ambitions.
I know the "Nikolov model" from the inside. I was on the Board while he was chairman. And I will say it bluntly: this was not collective management, but sole command. Shameful positions appeared "on behalf of the APB", without having gone through discussion and decision. We often found out after the fact - from publications, from the media, from foreign reactions. This is not how you build an independent organization. This is how an association turns into a personal tool.
This was stated in a personal position by the chairman of the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria during the presidency of Vladimir Nikolov - prosecutor Elitsa Kalpacka.
And yes - during this period the Association of Prosecutors has never seemed more dependent. For a long time, Vladimir Nikolov was perceived as one of the closest to Ivan Geshev and as a person who drew weight from this closeness and exploited it for his dizzying career. This is not a “label“, but a real public imprint that haunted us: the impression that the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria does not protect the profession, but serves a specific figure. This is exactly what eroded trust from within - among colleagues who expect honesty, not loyalty.
Today, the same person talks about a “dependent association“ and “pressure“ and tries to portray himself as a fighter. But when he had power – when he could choose legality, transparency and collectivity – he chose uniformity and career servitude. This is the truth that will not be rewritten with memorized television lines.
And one more thing – the suggestions of “pressure“ in the election of a new Management Board are an insult to the members of the APB. The election was according to the statute, before the General Assembly. The Prosecutor General left before the vote. The decision was made by the prosecutors who voted – not the “strongmen of the day“, not someone's patrons, not “eternal“ leaders.
As a member of the Board of Directors during the presidency of Vladimir Nikolov, I witnessed an awful lot of violations - not rumors, not interpretations, but situations that left behind documents, traces and, above all, shame. The Board of Directors conducted an inspection and adopted a report with specific findings on these cases. I will not participate in replacing what I have seen. Because if someone wants “light”, the light comes with facts – and we will speak with facts, not with suggestions.
Vladimir Nikolov can change roles and masters, but he cannot erase his traces. It is easiest to act brave after you have drawn weight from foreign power and turned the APB into a convenient megaphone. We prosecutors remember — and we will not allow the past to be “washed” on our behalf.
Elitsa Kalpacka, President of APB