Ivan Petev Demerdzhiev

Public record

Compiled from publications and official records as of 18.10.2026. Every statement links to its source; claims made by others are marked as such, with who makes them. Quotations in English are our translation.

Russia

• Russia. As caretaker minister in March 2023 he said the leading theory for the wave of bomb threats against schools was "a hybrid attack connected with Russia"; the next day he added: "I did not mean the Russian state" (our translation). — Dir.bg, 28.03.2023; RFE/RL, 29.03.2023

Corruption and scandals

• The ID documents annex. In April 2025 the prosecutor's office charged him with mismanagement on a particularly large scale over a June 2023 annex to the contract for the new ID documents; the charge was later changed to intentionally concluding an unfavourable deal (damage BGN 1.48 m). He says the charge is revenge for exposing Delyan Peevski's influence in the Interior Ministry and the prosecution. — RFE/RL, 25.04.2025; Sega, 19.09.2025 The Sofia City Court and, finally, the Appellate Court returned the indictment to the prosecution as unclear. — Sega, 05.02.2026 The Administrative Court annulled the BGN 10,000 fine imposed on him by the State Financial Inspection Agency for the same annex. — Sega, 23.05.2026
• 411 properties. In July 2026 the DPS claimed that Demerdzhiev, his wife and their partners control 411 properties and companies worth over BGN 16 m. He replied that he earned everything in 26 years as a lawyer. — Sega, 22.07.2026
• Iliyan Filipov. After the killing of the Plovdiv businessman in October 2026, the DPS claimed Demerdzhiev had been his attorney. He said he had known him for 5–6 years through a business partner and the association "Business for Plovdiv", and "even if I had been Filipov's lawyer, I see nothing wrong" (our translation). — Sega, 11.10.2026
• Peevski's flights. In July 2026 Delyan Peevski accused Demerdzhiev of illegally investigating his private life after the check on who paid for his flights; Peevski says he paid for them himself. — News.bg, 02.07.2026 In October 2026 Peevski referred to the prosecutor's office statements by Demerdzhiev that "spread alarm among citizens" (our translation). — Mediapool, 12.10.2026
• Kalin Stoyanov's complaint. Former interior minister Kalin Stoyanov, now a DPS MP, wrote to acting Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova asking whether the case against Demerdzhiev will be brought again. — Sega, 22.06.2026

Other

• OFAC. The Interior Ministry alerted the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to possible circumvention of the Magnitsky sanctions in Bulgaria. — Mediapool, 07.2026