Bulgarian chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev has refused to step down, tearing up his resignation letter on national television and attacking unnamed rivals in parliament as "political trash."
"I will finish my mandate," the 52-year-old Geshev told reporters on May 15. "I am not afraid."
Geshev's actions came amid rising pressure for him to resign following allegations by opponents that an explosion near his car earlier this month described as an assassination attempt was staged.
Prosecutors from the Supreme Judicial Council subsequently launched dismissal procedures against Geshev for "damaging the image of the justice system" by disseminating allegedly false information and meddling with the investigation into the May 1 blast near his vehicle.
Prime Minister-nominee Maria Gabriel from the center-right GERB party, which recently won a narrow victory in an extraordinary election, said last week that her future justice minister would initiate proceedings for Geshev's dismissal.
Geshev, who has not commented on the incident involving his car, said on May 15 that he was being attacked by "the political mafia, oligarchy, and organized crime," and claimed former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov was behind the pressure for him to resign. Borisov, who leads GERB, has denied the allegation.
SEE ALSO: Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Was Targeted In A Bomb Attack. But Not Everyone Believes It's True.Geshev, who has served as chief prosecutor since late 2019 and is slated to remain for a seven-year term, said he has worked "only and exclusively" for Bulgaria and the security of Bulgarian citizens, but that upon his return from the United States on May 14 he had been advised by an unidentified individual to tender his resignation by the morning of May 15.
He claimed his family was mentioned and that he was told if he did not resign, videos against him would be published.
Geshev also said that last month he had received an offer, which he was told came from Borisov, to start a political career or to take an ambassadorship in Israel or Turkey. Borisov has denied making such an offer and said he was not in a position to do so.
Bulgarian media and prosecution officials have said Geshev and his family narrowly escaped when an explosive blew up near his car on a remote road.
But Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev and Borislav Sarafov -- a Geshev deputy who also heads the country's National Investigation Service -- said Geshev was traveling alone at the time of the explosion and that his armored SUV did not sustain any damage.
On May 15, Geshev demanded Sarafov resign, saying that if his deputy refuses he will file a request with the Supreme Judicial Council to have him removed.
Observers have suggested that supporters of Geshev within GERB may have turned against him following the May 1 incident. GERB is currently in talks to form a coalition government that could end a lengthy political stalemate that has resulted in five general elections in two years.
President Rumen Radev on May 15 handed Gabriel the first exploratory mandate to form a government. Under the constitution Gabriel has seven days to propose the Council of Ministers. If she is unable to form a government, Radev will hand the mandate to the second-largest parliamentary group, the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.