Sofia, January 14 (BTA) - The classified information clearance of the Couner-Corruption and Unlawfully Acquired Assets Forfeiture Commission Chair, Sotir Tsatsarov, has been revoked, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told bTV on Friday a day after Tsatsarov announced his plans to resign.

The Prime Minister added that Tsatsarov would be practically unable to do his job as counter-corruption commission leader without clearance to handle classified information.

Petkov said that he trusts the decision of the State Agency for National Security. "I hope it has nothing to do with his resignation yesterday (Thursday)," he commented.
 
The Prime Minister's assessment of Tsatsarov's performance is "strongly negative".
 
More details about the revocation of Tsatsarov's clearance transpired later on Friday in a press release by the Counter-Corruption Commission. It says that Tsatsatov was handed a SANS decree about that in his office, and the decree says that "the person violated the law or its implementing regulations, which had lead to considerable detriment - or to a risk of a considerable detriment - to the interests of the State, organizations or individuals in the field of classified information protection".

Tsatsarov: There has been persistent institutional pressure from the PM and the Interior Minister

Tsatsarov also pointed out that the decree was signed by the SANS deputy chief in the absence of the SANS chief. "I am aware that this happened after persistent institutional pressure on the SANS leadership from Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov," Tsatsarov said.

According to Tsatsarov, SANS launched a probe against him after an alert that, during a 2017 meeting with two businessmen, which caused the widely known TZUM-gate, he disclosed classified information. Such an alert by Boyko Rashkov was already considered by SANS in August 2021 but it did not find any wrongdoing, Tsatsarov also says.

TZUM-gate

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) reported on Tuesday that a probe has been conducted into the so-called TZUM-gate scandal, involving a meeting between then prosecutor general Sotir Tsatsarov and two prominent Bulgarian businessmen. The meeting itself does not constitute a violation of the Bulgarian magistrates' code of ethics. The probe was terminated by the SJC's Inspectorate over lack of evidence that any violations of the Judicial System Act have taken place, the SJC said. The decision was made on July 10.

TZUM-gate broke out in April 2017 after a leak of videos, which alluded to a controversial meeting between Sotir Tsatsarov and Sasho Donchev, founder and CEO of the private natural gas company Overgas and publisher of the influential "Sega" daily. The meeting took place in the office of businessman and politician Georgi Gergov located in the building of Sofia's TZUM department store. During the meeting, Tsatsarov allegedly complained to Donchev about cartoons of himself published in "Sega" and about BiT television and the Yes Bulgaria party. According to Tsatsarov's account of the events, Donchev asked him to put pressure on prosecutors probing a regulator in a case related to the supply and sale of natural gas. Gergov mediated the meeting, to which he brought Tsatsarov.

Loss of classified information clearance is no cause for resignation
 
Tsatsarov also said that the loss of his classified information certificate is no reason for him to resign from the counter-corruption commission. "It works the other way: the declared intention to resign yesterday (Thursday) is the reason why I had my classified information clearance revoked," he said. He blames the campaign against him on Rashkov's desire for revenge for checks of his property status and on Petkov's efforts to divert attention from "the real problems facing him".  

He also says that he will continue to perform his duties at the counter-corruption commission and has made arrangements that all materials containing classified information are reported only to the commission deputy chairman.

He says that he will challenge the decree revoking his clearance and promises to make public his motives to resign after the resignation is presented to Parliament. MT/LN/

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