Bulgarian Constitutional Court judge Desislava Atanassova faces increasing pressure to resign amid allegations of traveling with sanctioned politician Delyan Peevski on a private flight earlier this year. Calls for her resignation have come from both the ruling party and opposition members, who argue that stepping down would be a fitting moral action while an investigation into the alleged trip is conducted. This situation intensified following Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev’s disclosure to Parliament, asserting that Atanassova was aboard a private flight with Peevski from Sofia to Dubai in April 2024.
Lawmakers are demanding a thorough investigation into the funding of Peevski’s numerous private flights, as he is currently under U.S. and U.K. sanctions for alleged corruption. Demerdzhiev informed Parliament that Peevski has taken hundreds of outbound flights over the past eight years, many of which were on chartered planes. This scrutiny comes amid concerns about the financial sources behind these trips, given Peevski’s sanctioned status.
In her defense, Atanassova has categorically denied the accusations, maintaining that she traveled on commercial flights with Turkish Airlines between Sofia and Istanbul during the period in question. She asserts that she never flew to Dubai, presenting official travel records and passport information to corroborate her claims. Atanassova has described the allegations as unfounded and false.
The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the details of the situation, although it has stated that it lacks the legal authority to remove a judge under such circumstances. As the investigation continues, authorities are also probing whether any official travel records have been tampered with in relation to this case.