Bulgarian Constitutional Court judge Desislava Atanassova is facing significant pressure to resign following allegations that she traveled with sanctioned politician Delyan Peevski on a private flight in April 2024. The controversy erupted after Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev informed Parliament that Atanassova accompanied Peevski on a private jet from Sofia to Dubai. This revelation has led both ruling party members and opposition lawmakers to call for her resignation, suggesting it as a suitable ethical action amidst ongoing inquiries into the alleged trip.
The demand for Atanassova’s resignation comes amid broader scrutiny of Peevski’s travel arrangements, as he is under U.S. and U.K. sanctions due to corruption allegations. Lawmakers have urged a thorough investigation into how Peevski’s numerous private flights have been financed, with Demerdzhiev revealing that he made hundreds of outbound flights, many on chartered aircraft, over the past eight years.
In response to the allegations, Atanassova has firmly denied any involvement in the private flight to Dubai. She claims that during the specified period, she traveled on commercial flights with Turkish Airlines between Sofia and Istanbul, never setting foot in Dubai. To substantiate her account, Atanassova has presented official travel records and passport data, dismissing the allegations as completely false.
The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the situation but has noted the absence of a legal framework to remove a judge based on such allegations. As this unfolds, authorities are investigating to determine if any official travel records were tampered with as part of the inquiry into the claims against Atanassova.