Police have released Bulgaria's former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov after arresting him as part of an EU corruption investigation.
Borisov, 62, who is currently the leader of the opposition center-right GERB party and several other members of his party were detained on March 17 in probes related to misuse of EU aid funds.
"They came into my home while we were having dinner," Borisov said after his release in comments broadcast on television.
Searching his home, authorities "did not find anything and when I thought they were leaving, they told me, 'We have to arrest you,'" he added.
"It was brutal and disgusting. We have returned to the time of communism."
He said he had not been charged. Prosecutors have yet to comment on the outcome of his detention.
Hundreds of his supporters demonstrated in protest at his arrest in the center of Sofia on the morning of March 17.
"Nobody is above the law!" Prime Minister Kiril Petkov posted on his official Facebook page late on March 17.
Petkov's newly formed anti-corruption party won the general elections last year on a "zero tolerance for corruption" platform.
The arrests came after a visit to Sofia on March 16-17 by European Chief Prosecutor Laura Koevesi. She praised Petkov's "determination, leadership, and compelling vision on the fight against corruption."
"Now is the time for the relevant Bulgarian authorities to team up with us, including on particularly sensitive cases," Koevesi said.
"This is why we exist, this is why we are here," Koevesi said, adding that European prosecutors have opened 120 investigations of fraud involving EU money related to public tenders, agricultural subsidies, construction, and coronavirus recovery funds.
Borisov has been accused of corruption several times over the years but has denied any wrongdoing.