Borislav Sarafov has resigned as Bulgaria’s acting Prosecutor General, it emerged from an address to the members of the judiciary that was published on the website of the prosecution service in Bulgarian and in English at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Sarafov announced that earlier in the day, before the Prosecutors Chambers of the Supreme Judicial Council, he had withdrawn his consent to assume the position of acting Prosecutor General.
“I made my decision some time ago, after careful consideration of all legal and institutional consequences. I postponed its announcement in order to prevent further destabilization of the prosecution service of the Republic of Bulgaria in the context of a prolonged and severe political crisis, which, I hope, as the majority of Bulgarian citizens have demonstrated, has this time found its successful resolution,” Sarafov said in his address.
Lingering Controversy
Sarafov, until then Deputy Prosecutor General, was designated as acting prosecutor general by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Prosecutors Chamber on June 16, 2023, following the removal of his predecessor Ivan Geshev.
His tenure was overshadowed by a lingering controversy over his legitimacy. A number of Bulgarian courts argue that, under Judicial System Act amendments effective January 21, 2025, which limited to six months the period during which a particular individual can serve as acting prosecutor general, his capacity to serve in this office lapsed on July 21, 2025, i.e. six months after the entry into force of these provisions.
In early October 2025, two panels of the Supreme Court of Cassation refused to institute proceedings on motions entered by Sarafov for reopening of criminal cases, arguing that he did not legitimately perform the functions of prosecutor general.
For its part, the SJC Prosecutors Chamber has argued that the six-months time limit did not apply to Sarafov because his designation predated the legal revision at issue, which did not make specific provisions for this situation. This view was shared by some appellate courts.
Caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov’s two attempts to have the Prosecutors Chamber unseat Sarafov were stonewalled. In a Facebook post, Ivan Demerdzhiev, a former caretaker interior minister who will be in the new Parliament as part of former President Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria Coalition, gave Sarafov until April 22 to resign, arguing that he “has no legitimacy whatsoever”. Demerdzhiev urged Yankulov to order Judicial Security to bar Sarafov’s access to his office at Sofia’s Palace of Justice, but the Justice Minister opposed the idea, arguing that the Prosecutors Chamber rather than the cabinet is competent to vest the functions of prosecutor general in Sarafov.
There have been multiple protests against Sarafov, with ralliers accusing him of catering to the interests of backstage forces and holding the office illigitimately.
