Kalin Georgiev Stoyanov (, born 28 April 1981) is a Bulgarian law enforcement worker and politician who was the Minister of Interior in the Denkov and First Glavchev Caretaker Government. A political independent, he has worked for the Ministry of Interior since 2003, holding the position of head of the General Directorate Combatting Organised Crime between 2021 and 2023.
Early life and education
He was born on 28 April 1981, in Burgas. In 2003, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from the academy of the Ministry of Interior in Sofia. He also received a master's degree in law from the Burgas Free University in 2009.
Career in the Ministry of Interior
Between 2003 and 2009, Stoyanov worked as an employee in the "Economic Police" department of the Burgas Oblast Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.
Between 2009 and 2011, he worked for the Territorial Branch of the Directorate Combatting Organised Crime for Burgas, as well as the Regional Committee for Combatting human trafficking.
From 2011 to 2016, Stoyanov worked in the "Special Operations" department within the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC), which in the period between 2013 and 2015 operated within the structure of DANS.
Stoyanov took his first leadership role within the Ministry of Interior in 2016, when he was appointed as head of the Regional Department "Primorsko" within the Burgas Oblast Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.
He received a new leadership role in 2018, when he was appointed to the position of Head of "Special Operations" within the GDCOC.
Head of the GDCOC
In 2021, Kalin Stoyanov was appointed as head of the GDCOC by Caretaker Minister of Interior in the Yanev Government, Boyko Rashkov, replacing Lyubomir Yanev. The head of the GDCOC is often referred to as the "number one anti-mafia fighter", due to the organisations role in prosecuting Bulgarian mafia members.
On 11 December 2021, a prosecutor dealing with the case of Borislav Kralev, who was accused of money laundering as part of the construction of the Hemus motorway, accused Stoyanov of attempting to intimidate him in order to make him approve the defense's requests. Soon after, the Sofia-City Prosecutors Office claimed to have gathered enough evidence in order to begin a court case. The allegations presented by the prosecutor have been denied by Stoyanov. The case was ultimately never prosecuted in court and was officially dropped on 5 June 2023.
Minister of the Interior
Denkov Government
Kalin Stoyanov was announced as the nominee for the position of minister of interior in the Denkov Government on 1 June 2023. Assuming the role of minister of the interior on 6 June, following the successful investiture vote of the proposed government.
In an appearance with outgoing caretaker minister of the interior, Demerdzhiev, Stoyanov highlighted his long period of service within the Ministry of Interior and expressed hope that the Ministry would not be affected by political disputes. Stoyanov put reducing traffic accidents, tackling crime in smaller population centers and dealing with migration as his three main priorities. In his public appearances, he also made clear that reducing corruption was another key goal within his strategy.
One of the key challenges which Stoyanov faced in his first few months were demands by the syndicate of the workers of the Ministry of Interior for a 10% wage increase. Stoyanov indicated his support the proposed wage-raise and promised to defend the syndicate's interests during the drafting of the budget for 2024. However, the 10% wage increase was ultimately not approved by the cabinet.
Stoyanov also undertook changes within the regional headquarters of the Ministry of Interior, appointing new people. The changes led to accusations of a purge by previous minister, Demerdzhiev. Stoyanov, for his part, denied this, and justified the changes due to the necessity of a new leadership team.
The Ministry was able to celebrate some early successes, such as the extradition and arrest of controversial Bulgarian businessman, Vasil Bozhkov, who had been wanted for his connections with organised crime.
Assassination of Aleksei Petrov & Removal of Petar Todorov
On 16 August, Bulgarian businessman, Aleksei Petrov, was assassinated, causing shock within Bulgarian society.
The assassination prompted a convention of national security meeting by Denkov, which included Stoyanov. Following the meeting, Denkov announced that at Stoyanov's request the government would request the removal of the secretary to the minister of the interior, Petar Todorov, due to a loss of confidence. This request was turned down by President Rumen Radev, who accused the government of trying to take over the country's security services.
On 23 August, Stoyanov held a press briefing in which he officially presented his reasoning behind the request for Todorov's removal. He argued that Todorov had overseen an increase in crime and had made oversights leading to the mishandling of criminal cases. Further, he accused Todorov of being partially responsible for the death of 6 police officers due to fostering an environment of disorganisation.
Despite Radev's refusal to approve his removal, Todorov ended up resigning on 30 August, accusing Stoyanov of slandering him, as well as creating an untenable work environment. His place was taken by Zhivko Kotsev.
Local Elections
Prior to the 2023 Bulgarian local elections, Stoyanov underlined that the Ministry of Interior had taken clear steps to prevent vote buying and preserve public order. In an interview shortly after the first round election, he confirmed that most major political parties had engaged in vote buying and that there had been an unprecedented number of complaints about violations of electoral law.
Bulgarian Football Union Protests
On 16 November, a scheduled protest by Bulgarian football fans against the Bulgarian Football Union, and specifically its president, Borislav Mihaylov turned violent, causing widespread property damage in Sofia, as well as injuries to both protestors and police personnel. The protest was accompanied with videos of alleged police brutality against protestors, which outraged certain sections of civil society.
On 17 November, one of the governing parties, PP–DB, demanded Kalin Stoyanov's resignation, accusing him of being responsible for the use of violent methods by police. Key PP–DB figures further claimed that Stoyanov had been presented by GERB, and that they were therefore politically responsible for his actions. Prime Minister, Nikolai Denkov, while not explicitly supporting his party's position, made it clear that he believed he had made an oversight in not managing the situation seriously enough, further revealing that Stoyanov had been in the cinema during the protests. Other political forces supporting the government, GERB and DPS, expressed support for Stoyanov and instead blamed other figures (such as the Minister of Sport and the Sofia Police Department) for their management of the protests.
Responding to calls for his resignation on the 17th of November, Stoyanov defended the actions of the Ministry of Interior when handling the process and made clear that he did not intend to resign. In an interview, on the 19th of November, Stoyanov, while admitting that the police response to the protests may have at times been excessive, accused PP co-leader, Kiril Petkov, for attempting to influence appointments within the Ministry of Interior. He further confirmed that he had been invited into the government personally by Petkov.
The conflict between Petkov and Stoyanov carried on into 21 November, when the two engaged in a verbal altercation during Nova's morning talk show "Wake Up, Bulgaria". Later that day, Stoyanov held a media briefing in which he announced that three police officers had been fired for their role in the clashes, and that investigations into allegations of abuse of power were ongoing. He also once again accused Kiril Petkov of attempting to meddle in the affairs of the Ministry. Shortly after the briefing, PM Denkov held a press conference of his own in which he expressed support for Stoyanov's actions, however, Denkov made clear that if more meaningful change does not take place he would tenure the government's resignation.
Stoyanov testified before the Parliamentary Internal Security Commission on 22 November. In his testimony, he expressed regret about the use of force by certain police officers. However, he generally defended measures undertaken by the Sofia Police and blamed the Sofia Municipality for permitting the protest without proper regulations, such as allowing the famously rival fan groups of Levski and CSKA Sofia to march in one column.
On 1 December, Kalin Stoyanov's chief of staff, Vasil Krastev, resigned, following a publication by the newspaper Capital alleging a connection between Krastev and controversial Bulgarian politician, Delyan Peevski.
Stoyanov further played an important role in negotiations for Bulgaria's entrance into the Schengen Area.
Assassination of Martin Bozhanov
On 1 February, Martin Bozhanov, also known as "The Notary, a figure who was under investigation for property fraud, money laundering and threatening prosecutors, was assassinated. His assassination triggered a re-opening of societal discussions about the power of the Bulgarian mafia, as well as its links to state figures.
In the days following Bozhanov's assassination, it was revealed that his wife, Gergana, had worked for the GCOC, although she was subsequently fired by Kalin Stoyanov during his Directorship. It was additionally suspected by some media outlets that Martin Bozhanov may have worked with the Ministry of Interior as an informant. Other media outlets suggested that Bozhanov may have been a protected witness set to testify against another suspected member of the Bulgarian Mafia, known under the name "Pepi Evro". On the 7th of February, police officers searched the premises of a club connected with Bozhanov, called SS. Stoyanov has refused to confirm or deny these reports.
In a press briefing on 4 February, Stoyanov stated that solving the case of Bozhanov's murder was a key priority for the Ministry. On the 8th of February, testifying before the Parliamentary Committee for Internal Security & Order, Stoyanov stated that Bozhanov had been investigated by the GDCOC as early as 2021, during his tenure as director. He also promised to provide the parliamentary commission investigating the death of Bozhanov with a report about the evidence the Ministry of Interior held about Bozhanov and his associates.
Despite the ministries declared efforts, former Minister of the Interior and PP MP, Boyko Rashkov, accused Kalin Stoyanov of being connected with Bozhanov and of having leaked information to him as director of the GDCOC. Stoyanov has denied these accusations and instead has underlined the GDCOC's role in collecting evidence against Bozhanov. In a statement to the media on the 28th of February, he also denied allegations brought forth by Rashkov and others that there was evidence of the involvement of acting General Prosecutor, Borislav Serafov, with either Bozhanov or Petrov-Evroto.
On 6 March, Stoyanov order an investigation into whether Bozhanov's club had received informal police protection.
During a closed session of the parliamentary committee investigating the death of Martin Bozhanov, Stoyanov allegedly did not confirm nor deny the rumours that Bozhanov had been working for the Ministry prior to his assassination.
Tenure as Acting Minister