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EU Parliament lifts immunity of MEP who is ex-Bulgarian premier

11 March 2015, 22:01 CET
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EU Parliament lifts immunity of MEP who is ex-Bulgarian premier

Sergei Stanishev - Photo EC

(STRASBOURG) - The European Parliament on Wednesday lifted the immunity of member Sergei Stanishev, a former Bulgarian prime minister, to allow his country to prosecute him over allegedly losing secret documents.

The parliament sitting in Strasbourg, France took the decision after saying that the case against Stanishev, who is head of the European Socialist Party, had nothing to do with his role as an MEP.

"The European Parliament...decides to waive the immunity of Sergei Stanishev," the parliament's decision read, adding the waiver request came from the chief public prosecutor of Bulgaria.

Stanishev was charged in July 2010 with losing documents containing state secrets, prosecutors in Sofia said.

If found guilty, Stanishev, a Socialist who was premier from 2005 until 2009, could face a two-year jail sentence or a fine.

Prosecutors accused Stanishev of "losing seven documents between November 2005 and September 2009."

The documents were handed to the former prime minister to sign, but were apparently never handed back by Stanishev, the prosecutors allege.

Stanishev, who has said he handed all the documents to the government's secret documents department, said in a statement released Wednesday: "In Bulgaria it is clear to everyone that the case against me is political."


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