The Bulgarian National Bank has officially admitted that it is powerless to stop individuals sanctioned under the “Magnitsky Act” from operating within the country’s banking system. In response to a parliamentary question from Assen Vassilev of “We Continue the Change,” the Central Bank justified its position by citing the lack of explicit legal regulation.

In an interview with Iliyana Benovska on August 2, 2025, Yordan Mitsikulev – activist and representative of the political movement “Velichie” – made shocking revelations, combining deep personal emotion with serious political and institutional accusations.

The European Commission has said what Bulgarian authorities stubbornly refuse to acknowledge: in Bulgaria, the rule of law is encapsulated, corruption is entrenched at the highest levels of power, the media is trapped between dependency and self-censorship, and the rule of law exists only in figurative statements. The 2025 report leaves no room for doubt—Sofia is among the most problematic legal jurisdictions in the European Union, with systemic failures in multiple areas that would have triggered sanction procedures in other countries.

Dian Ivanov, former deputy mayor of Varna Municipality and one of the key witnesses in the case against the unlawfully detained mayor of Varna Municipality, Blagomir Kotsev, has admitted to giving false testimony to the Varna Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior (ODMVR – Varna) under pressure from officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK – Sofia).