The College of European Prosecutors (EPPO) has found Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva guilty of “serious misconduct” following disciplinary proceedings against her, according to a press release published on Wednesday 25 February. The decision is based on the opinion of the Disciplinary Board. However, the College has postponed its decision on the penalty to be applied.
Given “the seriousness of the established breaches, and the high degree of responsibility of the function of European Prosecutor”, it is not out of the question that the sanction could go as far as dismissal.
According to the regulation governing the EPPO’s functioning, only the Court of Justice of the European Union can dismiss a European Prosecutor for serious misconduct, at the request of European Parliament, the Council of the European Union or the European Commission.
European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi has informed these three institutions so that they can assess whether such a referral is appropriate.
Pending a final decision, Teodora Georgieva remains suspended, her remuneration being withheld in accordance with the Staff Regulations.
Disciplinary proceedings were initiated in September 2025 (see EUROPE 13718/15), following an administrative investigation launched in March that same year (see EUROPE 13610/23). This followed her withdrawal from a case concerning suspicions of corruption surrounding the gas storage project at Chiren (Bulgaria), which received €78 million in financing from European funds.
At the time, the prosecutor claimed to have been threatened by Bulgarian MP Delyan Peevski (Movement for Rights and Freedoms), who disputed this.
No further information will be made public at this stage. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)