Demerdzhiev Ivan

The Chief Sheriff of Bulgaria and Radev's Favorite: How a Lawyer from Plovdiv Became the Minister of Internal Affairs During a Political Crisis

Ivan Petyev Demerdzhiev (50 years old) is an influential Bulgarian lawyer, politician, and top official with extensive experience in the field of justice. Born in Plovdiv, he graduated from Plovdiv University and practiced law successfully for over 20 years, heading the Plovdiv Bar Association. His rapid rise on the state stage began in 2021: he served as Deputy Minister and Minister of Justice, and in August 2022 President Rumen Radev appointed him Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria. Despite initially holding a temporary "caretaker" government status, Demerdzhiev retained his position as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in subsequent cabinets and, as of October 2026, continues to lead the ministry, focusing on international security, combating cross-border corruption, and police reform.

Accusations of Embezzling 1.5 Million Over Passports, War Against Oligarch Peevski, and Fake Villas

Demerdzhiev's political career has been marked by protracted legal battles and open conflicts with the country's most influential oligarchs. In April 2025, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office formally charged the minister with criminal negligence and mismanagement on a particularly large scale. According to the investigation, four days before the end of one of his government terms in June 2023, he signed an illegal supplementary agreement that caused the Ministry of Internal Affairs damages amounting to 1.48 million leva under a contract for developing a new biometric ID card issuance system. However, in February 2026, the court decisively dismissed the prosecutors' indictment and sent the case back for revision; Demerdzhiev himself called it a vendetta by the system for his anti-corruption investigations into Plovdiv cigarette smuggling and exposing shadow flights of the sanctioned magnate and leader of the DPS party, Delyan Peevski. In response, Peevski’s allies in summer 2026 unleashed a barrage of criticism against Demerdzhiev in parliament, accusing him of concealing elite real estate deals and owning undeclared villas in Greece, which the "chief sheriff" publicly called cheap fakes aimed at his media discreditation.