(Bloomberg) -- Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ruled that prosecutors can’t start legal proceedings against a sitting president, a decision that could affect an ongoing spat between the country’s top prosecutor and Rumen Radev, the head of state.
The Balkan country is locked in a political crisis, with thousands of people protesting each day against Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s government and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev over their failure to fight corruption.
President Radev has repeatedly criticized Geshev for what he says are selective investigations against high-ranking officials and has accused him and Borissov of links with the mafia, which they deny.
Geshev asked the Constitutional Court in January to clarify a question on Radev’s immunity status after a conflict-of-interest investigation was halted due to his possible involvement. The sitting president can’t be charged or interrogated, the court said Thursday. Any existing investigations that don’t target the president can continue, according to the ruling.
Prosecutors said in January that Radev, a former Air Force chief, is suspected of involvement in a case in which an anti-corruption inquiry into his wife was shelved when documents were hidden from the authorities. He has denied wrongdoing.
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