SOFIA, January 24. /TASS/. The Bulgarian prosecution launched pre-trial investigations against two Russian diplomats accused of espionage; however, it was forced to halt criminal proceedings in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the prosecution’s website informed on Friday. "Despite the evidence allowing to prosecute the individuals accused, criminal proceedings against two Russian citizens were halted," the statement notes.
"Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev has informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs [Ekaterina Zaharieva] of the evidence gathered regarding the espionage activity carried out by two foreign nationals with diplomatic immunity on the territory of the country," the prosecution informs, adding that two pre-trial investigations of crimes committed against the Republic of Bulgaria were launched.
The Bulgarian prosecution informs that the investigation was launched against two foreigners, who "collected state secret information with the aim to disclose it to a foreign state or a foreign organization." "In the course of the investigation within one of the pre-trial proceedings, it was documented that since 2017 to the present day, a Russian national has been involved in espionage activity, during which he searched for information on election mechanisms in the country. It was established that the Russian national is a diplomat accredited as first secretary of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Sofia," the message follows.
According to the prosecution, another Russian citizen "has been gathering intelligence information, including state and professional secrets, in relation to the country’s sphere of energy and energy security since October 2018 to the present day." "In order to carry out these unlawful activities, the Russian national maintained contact with Bulgarian citizens with access to information from said sphere. Further checks have shown that the Russian citizen has diplomatic immunity as an employee of the Russian Trade Delegation to Sofia," the statement says.
Russian Ambassador to Sofia Anatoly Makarov told TASS that the Russian embassy had not been officially informed of the charges. "The Russian Embassy has received no official information regarding the charges presented against Russian diplomats," Makarov noted.