Amid growing scrutiny, Bulgarian Constitutional Court judge Desislava Atanassova faces calls to resign following allegations that she traveled on a private flight with sanctioned politician Delyan Peevski in April 2024. The controversy has drawn attention from both the ruling party and opposition lawmakers, who argue that Atanassova stepping down would be a morally appropriate action while investigations into the alleged journey are underway. The situation was brought into the spotlight by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, who informed Parliament that Atanassova was present on a private flight from Sofia to Dubai with Peevski.
The demands for a comprehensive investigation into the financing of Peevski’s private flights have intensified, especially given that he is under U.S. and U.K. sanctions due to corruption allegations. Demerdzhiev reported to Parliament that Peevski has undertaken hundreds of outbound flights over the past eight years, frequently using chartered aircraft for his travels.
In response to the accusations, Atanassova has categorically denied any involvement in the alleged private flight. She maintains that during the specified period, she traveled via commercial Turkish Airlines flights between Sofia and Istanbul and did not fly to Dubai at all. To support her defense, she has provided official travel records and passport data, which she claims prove the allegations to be false.
The Constitutional Court has announced that it is currently reviewing the information related to the case. However, it highlighted the absence of a legal mechanism to remove a judge under such circumstances. Concurrently, authorities are investigating whether any official travel records might have been altered, as part of their ongoing inquiry.