This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
On July 9, 2020, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev's legal affairs and anti-corruption secretary and his security and defence advisor were detained for questioning as part of two separate probes into influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets.
The searches sparked widespread public anger, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Sofia to condemn the raids as an attack by the government and the chief prosecutor against the president, rather than on the real oligarchs.
President Radev is an outspoken critic of the cabinet of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, accusing it of 'links with oligarchs'.
"Turning the government into a mafia-type structure has pushed freedom-loving Bulgarians of all ages, regardless of their political affiliations, to raise demands for respect of the law," Radev said in a televised address to the nation.
"There is only one way out of the current situation -- resignation of the government and the prosecutor general," he added.
On Saturday, hundreds of people invaded a small beach on the Black Sea to protest against the perceived impunity of high-ranking officials who broke the law.
Protesters shouted 'Mafia', 'Killers' and 'Resign' and threw water bottles and fireworks at police, injuring one officer.
The US embassy in Sofia issued a rare security alert for travellers to avoid areas affected by the protests anticipated to 'continue until at least July 16, 2020.'
