Ivaylo Mirchev: In Dubai, They Were Distributing the Portions.

Democratic Bulgaria co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev has called for all information surrounding Delyan Peevski's private flights and the people who accompanied him to be made public, arguing that the recent revelations raise serious questions about political influence and public procurement.

Speaking to Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Mirchev said Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev's disclosures demonstrate why his party had pushed for a parliamentary commission to investigate discrepancies in Peevski's declared wealth. According to him, the proposal was submitted at the beginning of the current parliament but was rejected by the governing majority.

Mirchev claimed that the information now coming to light stems from one of more than 20 reports Democratic Bulgaria has filed against Peevski over the years. He alleged that these complaints were consistently ignored or blocked by the prosecution. He also expressed concern that former caretaker minister Hristo Dechev and the current interior minister had received conflicting information from different departments within the Interior Ministry.

The Democratic Bulgaria lawmaker argued that it is essential to identify everyone who traveled with Peevski on what he described as hundreds of private trips abroad. He alleged that there is information suggesting these meetings were used to divide lucrative state contracts worth hundreds of millions of leva.

As an example, Mirchev pointed to trips to Dubai, claiming that owners of major construction companies were present alongside Peevski. According to him, discussions there allegedly determined which companies would receive specific public contracts.

Mirchev also reflected on his party's own political decisions, recalling that only hours after Desislava Atanasova was elected as a Constitutional Court judge, Yes, Bulgaria convened a meeting of its National Council and publicly acknowledged that supporting her appointment had been a mistake. He emphasized that the admission was followed by concrete political accountability rather than remaining a symbolic statement.

Turning to domestic politics, Mirchev accused GERB of consistently backing decisions that preserve what he described as Bulgaria's captured state model. He argued that the healthcare sector best illustrates this pattern, saying that the same individuals continue to exert influence over the parliamentary health committee, the Medical Supervision Executive Agency, and the National Health Insurance Fund.

He also criticized the appointment of Dr. Asen Medzhidiev as deputy governor of the National Health Insurance Fund. Mirchev said Democratic Bulgaria had warned in parliament about alleged State Agency for National Security (DANS) investigations concerning potential corruption involving Medzhidiev and Prof. Momchil Mavrov. Despite those concerns, he noted, Progressive Bulgaria refused to postpone the vote, and Medzhidiev was elected with GERB's support.

According to Mirchev, the same governance model extends beyond healthcare to institutions responsible for managing substantial public resources. He cited the Water and Sewerage Holding, where Plamen Manolov was appointed to the management board despite what he described as evidence of questionable practices during his time at the National Sports Base company. Mirchev also mentioned the state-owned company Avtomagistrali and Bulgaria's energy sector as further examples.

He warned that if the same approach is repeated during the selection of the next Supreme Judicial Council, it would call into question the purpose of the nationwide protests held at the end of 2025.

Mirchev also ruled out any possibility of Democratic Bulgaria supporting a joint presidential candidate with GERB. However, he added that he would not be surprised if GERB ultimately endorsed a presidential nominee backed or nominated by Progressive Bulgaria.