The European prosecutor from Bulgaria, found guilty of serious misconduct in investigations, ends the term with a reprimand.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office has established that the European prosecutor appointed by Bulgaria has committed three disciplinary violations in the context of ongoing investigations. The institution's college also analyzed the possibility of requesting the Court of Justice to revoke him, but decided to apply a reprimand, less than two weeks before the end of his term.

The European prosecutor from Bulgaria received a reprimand after the leadership of the European Public Prosecutor's Office found that he had committed three disciplinary violations related to ongoing investigations. The decision concludes a procedure in which the institution had analyzed a much more severe sanction, including the possibility of revocation from office through an action at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

In short

1. The College of the European Public Prosecutor's Office has established that the European prosecutor appointed by Bulgaria has committed three disciplinary violations in the context of the institution's investigations.

2. The violations were classified as serious misconduct, but the European Public Prosecutor's Office did not publish information about the specific facts or the affected cases.

3. A disciplinary committee made up of current or former senior European officials unanimously recommended the application of a reprimand.

4. The College also analyzed the possibility of requesting the Court of Justice to revoke the prosecutor and consulted the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Commission.

5. The prosecutor's term expires on July 28, 2026, and the leadership of the European Public Prosecutor's Office decided to close the procedure by applying a reprimand.

The College of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which brings together the European chief prosecutor and the European prosecutors from the participating states, applied the disciplinary sanction of reprimanding the European prosecutor appointed by Bulgaria.

The institution specified that the prosecutor was found guilty of serious violations committed in the context of ongoing investigations. The statement does not identify the person and does not explain the nature of the facts, the investigations involved, or any consequences for the cases.

The procedure was based on the findings of an administrative investigation group appointed by the College of the European Public Prosecutor's Office. The case was subsequently analyzed by the disciplinary council for the members of the College, made up of current or former senior officials of the European institutions.

In the reasoned opinion adopted on January 5, 2026, the members of the disciplinary council unanimously found the existence of the violations and recommended the sanction of reprimand.

On February 25, the College established that the European prosecutor from Bulgaria is guilty of three disciplinary violations. However, the decision regarding the sanction was postponed, as the leadership of the institution wanted to analyze the possibility of a request for revocation from office.

The regulation of the European Public Prosecutor's Office allows for the referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union for the dismissal of a European prosecutor who no longer meets the necessary conditions for exercising their duties or who is found guilty of serious misconduct. Before deciding whether to follow this procedure, the College requested the opinions of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission.

After reviewing these opinions and considering that the prosecutor's term expires on July 28, 2026, the College decided to conclude the disciplinary procedure by applying a reprimand. The document does not specify the positions expressed by the three institutions nor the reasons why the option for revocation was not followed.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is the independent institution of the European Union that investigates and prosecutes crimes affecting the financial interests of the EU, including fraud with European funds, cross-border VAT fraud, and corruption cases related to the European budget.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/procurorul-european-din-bulgaria-gasit-vinovat-de-abateri-grave-in-anchete-incheie-mandatul-cu-o-mustrare