Bulgaria's former PM Boyko Borissov arrested amid EU funds probe
Bulgaria’s former prime minister Boyko Borissov has been arrested after probes by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
Bulgaria's interior ministry said he had been taken into custody for 24 hours.
Officials told Euronews Bulgaria that the investigation was being headed by the EPPO and was linked to the alleged misuse of EU funds.
The EPPO did not immediately respond to Euronews' request to comment.
“A large-scale law enforcement operation is underway in connection with 120 cases of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bulgaria,” the press release from Bulgaria's interior ministry read.
Borissov, the leader of political party GERB and Bulgaria's PM as recently as 2021, was arrested late on Thursday in Sofia. Also detained were his media adviser Sevdalina Arnaudova, former financial minister Vladislav Goranov and Menda Stoyanova, former chairman of the parliament's budget commission.
Borissov was taken from his house in Bankya district and is now in police custody, according to the former Prime Minister's lawyer, Menko Menkov.
Menkov said that Borissov did not know why he was arrested.
"Nobody knows what kind of police officers they are. They have no explanation, they come and start an urgent search. What are these urgent searches?" the lawyer stressed.
Menkov said Borissov has not been charged yet and would be detained for 24 hours.
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