The newly elected head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption (PPO-OCC) Iskra Hadzhi Vasileva says that pressures on prosecutors are a reality faced by the profession. However, she emphasized that those holding the office of prosecutor must remain resilient and base their decisions exclusively on the law, facts, and evidence.
Responding to questions from journalists following a hearing in the case against Judge Gjoko Ristov, a case concerning her own appointment, Hadzhi Vasileva stressed that integrity is crucial for the independent work of prosecutors.
“It is perhaps natural that the work of a prosecutor, by its very nature, is subject to certain pressures. It is our duty, as prosecutors, to be resilient and to set boundaries against these pressures. We should not be afraid; pressures are likely a part of human nature—just as integrity is, which I am convinced is a quality possessed by many prosecutors,” the prosecutor noted.
When asked how she would respond if a high-ranking state official, such as the Prime Minister, were to contact her, Hadzhi Vasileva stated that while institutional communication is normal, any attempts to intervene in specific cases are not.
“There is nothing controversial about bodies and institutions cooperating; it is natural, logical, and reasonable. If you are referring to interventions or outside pressure, that is a different matter entirely; naturally, under the Constitution, we are independent and make decisions based on the law, facts, and evidence,” stressed Hadzi Vasileva.