Sleeping beside a Glock and wads of cash: Questions swirl around bedroom photos of Bulgaria’s prime minister

Borzou Daragahi reports on leaked images that have emerged amid a growing struggle between Boyko Borisov and a fugitive gambling oligarch

The origin of the images remains murky (Getty Images)

He is the prime minister of Bulgaria, a nation of 7 million that is a member of the European Union and a partner in Nato. So what were photos of Boyko Borisov slumbering in bed next to a Glock 9mm handgun and a drawer full of €500 bills and gold bars doing on the internet?

The photographs were distributed to news outlets anonymously, published online last week and authenticated as genuine by experts for two investigative news websites. They have rocked the Balkan nation, and raised numerous questions about both Mr Borisov and his enemies.

Questions remain as to why Mr Borisov, a centre-right political leader who is an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel, appears in these photos to be living like a B-movie gangster, keeping firearms, cash and gold at his bed stand as he sleeps.