Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev commented to journalists on the flights of DPS leader Delyan Peevski. Regarding the check of Peevski's private flights, Demerdzhiev said that the signals sent to Europol and Interpol do not bother him, dariknews.bg reports.
"The signals of DPS show something very clear. Since they know from which systems the information was obtained, they obviously also know what information is in these systems. I do not see these signals as something worrying for me, they rather show that the people who ask have answers, and they are inconvenient", he said.
According to the minister, the check is not aimed at the people who traveled with Peevski, but at the origin of the funds used to finance the dozens of private flights.
"The focus of this issue is being shifted mainly to Desislava Atanasova. One side of the problem is who the people are who accompanied Peevski on these flights and it is not a matter of personal interest, but a matter of checking whether there is an unhealthy rapprochement between politicians, between magistrates and business, something we call oligarchy in Bulgaria", explained Demerdzhiev.
"The big question is not why Peevski is being checked. The big question is why for years no one dared to check Peevski, after he was sanctioned under the “Magnitsky“ law for evidence of large-scale corruption, why no one did such a check. I clearly state that not only Peevski, but everyone will be checked when there is data and grounds for this", he said.
He also commented on the names of people who traveled with Peevski that have appeared, pointing out that the focus should not be is shifting towards them.
"Focusing on Desislava Atanasova suggests to me a willingness to sacrifice her. She is something of an indirect victim in this case - a person who ended up there on the list of people who made a reservation and possibly flew with Peevski. Our attention is focused on Peevski and the huge financial resources used for his flights, his origin and the possible connection with public procurement and acquisition of assets by Corpbank", the interior minister also said.
"There are cases in which a private plane is used for a long time by only one client and he is Delyan Peevski, we will clarify whether it is by chance not his, in addition to using it. In all our actions we have been guided by the law", he explained.
„We are investigating a crime, not dealing with the private life of one or another person“, he emphasized.