On 16.03.2023, a press conference was held in connection with a pre-trial proceedings initiated under the direction and supervision of Sofia City Prosecutor's Office for leadership and participation in an organized criminal group established for the purpose of obtaining proceeds from criminal activities, money laundering and tax crimes. Part of the collected evidence were presented, from which it was established that persons subject to investigations, defendants and others held meetings and conversations with the aim of organizing a campaign in the USA, in member states of the European Union and on the territory of the country to discredit and hindering the activities of law enforcement authorities, including taking actions that would compromise and remove senior magistrates and police officers.
Material evidence was presented, collected according to the proper legal procedure in the form of sheets of printed and handwritten text, one of which contains the following: 'BTB' - corresponding to the abbreviation of the Russian Bank for Foreign Trade included in the EU and US sanctions lists; "Tsetso from Belgrade" - probably Tsvetan Vassilev hiding in Serbia, accused of leading an organized criminal group and embezzlement of BGN 2. 7 billion from CCB, led to the bankruptcy of bank. A sheet entitled "TROUBLE MAKERS TO BE FIRED" containing a list of the names and current positions of judges, prosecutors and investigators from the closed structures of the specialized justice was seized.
It was presented the contents of two flash drives containing sound files representing conversations between the following persons - Diliyan Georgiev (with a restraining measure "detention in custody"), Krasimir Kamenov (accused of inciting the murder of a former employee of Ministry of Interior, declared internationally wanted in the Interpol system, with probable residence in South Africa), Ovidiu Semenescu (declared internationally wanted in the Interpol system in connection with an investigation into participation in organized criminal groups on the territory of Bulgaria), as well as the person "Mitko BIRD", probably concerning Dimitar Stoyanov, a journalist. In the pre-trial proceedings, Tony Ivanov was also brought to justice. (In the meantime, the same person has taken action on his hiding outside the territory of the country, he was found out in Spain, where he was detained by the competent authorities on the enforcement of the European Arrest Warrant issued by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.)
Materials were separated from the pre-trial proceedings under Article 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the following separate pre-trial proceedings were established:
Pre-trial proceedings related to an organized criminal group operated in the period from 2020 to 24.03.2023 on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with the aim of committing crimes in the country under Article 304b, para 1 of the Criminal Code (trade with influence). The separation is in connection with collected evidence regarding the actions of members of the organized criminal group to discredit and hinder the activities of law enforcement authorities and the removal from office of magistrates and senior police officers.
With regard to the materials collected in the course of the pre-trial proceedings, the State agency "National Security" has been entrusted with an investigation to establish whether the actions of discrediting and attempting to remove magistrates and senior police officers, as well as hindering the activities of law enforcement bodies, endanger and the national security of the country.
Information has been requested from SANS about bank accounts owned by the persons, movable and immovable property abroad, and for this purpose the inspection should be carried out in line with international cooperation, with the aim of acquiring facts and circumstances significant for the investigation.
The Internal Security Directorate at Ministry of Interior and the Directorate of Inspectorate - Ministry of Internal have been tasked with carrying out an investigation - what actions have been taken against senior police officers, in view of the available information about attempts to remove them from the system of the Ministry of Interior, as well as are there any data available for payments made to employees of the Ministry of Interior, complicit in the criminal activity.
In the course of the investigation, a new threat was made against a magistrate working on the case, and the General Directorate "Security" at the Ministry of Justice was announced. The General Directorate of the National Police has been assigned the task of identifying the persons who made the threat.
Another pre-trial proceeding has been separated for an organized crime group to commit murder. The separation is in connection with the collected evidence of the activities of the criminal group, and joint actions are being taken with the State Police-Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to establish the complicity of participants in the group in five murders and one attempted murder, committed over a long period of time.
The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office also conducts an investigation related to tax crime committed in the period from 2017 to 31.10.2022, in which the establishment and payment of large amounts of tax liabilities under the VAT Act were avoided. The subject of the investigation is the activity of commercial companies operating the "Slatina" stock exchange in the city of Sofia, whose governing bodies include persons related to Krasimir Kamenov. In the course of the investigation at the end of 2022, searches and seizures were carried out, during which numerous documents were seized.
In the criminal proceedings, the Prosecutor's Office assigned separate actions to the Commission for Combating Corruption and Confiscation of Illegally Acquired Property and the National Revenue Agency.
A technical expertise of the phone used by the accused Diliyan Georgiev was appointed and prepared. The same establishes the existence of active communication through mobile applications of the accused Diliyan Georgiev with the accused Tsvetan Vasilev, as well as with the persons Dimitar Stoyanov, Kalin Edrev and others.
The total amount of information contained is 24 GB, and the same is in the process of analysis. Sofia City Prosecutor's Office provides part of the established communication between the named persons, corresponding to the collected evidence of collusion by the organized criminal group, with the aim of discrediting in the country and abroad and attempts to eliminate senior magistrates and police officers:
Written communication from March 2022 between Dilyan Georgiev and "Mitko Bivol" (probably Dimitar Stoyanov), which refers to the actions of the person Ovidiu Semenescu, wanted by Interpol:
Written communication from the beginning of 2023 between DilYan Georgiev and "Kalin" (probably Kalin Edrev), in which the person Ovidiu Semenescu, wanted by Interpol, is commented:
Written communication from the end of 2022 between Dilyan Georgiev and "Mitko Bivol" (probably Dimitar Stoyanov), in which the two comment on a trip of the defendant Dilyan Georgiev to Serbia and his upcoming meetings with the defendant Tsvetan Vassilev:
Written communication from the beginning of 2023 between Dilyan Georgiev and a person identified as "Tsvetan Vasilev", discussing the organization of Dilyan Georgiev's upcoming trip to Belgrade and Nish, with the purpose of meetings between the two:
Written communication dated 23.12.2022 between Dilyan Georgiev and "Mitko Bivol" (probably Dimitar Stoyanov), in which at 6:01 p.m. the accused Georgiev sent Stoyanov a text file, with the name TXT_20221223_16..., containing a letter from the American Congressman Warren Davidson, sent the previous day to the US Treasury Secretary. A copy of the letter was first circulated on the Facebook profile of a user from Bulgaria around 16:00 on 23.12.2022. At 19:40 on the same day, a copy of the official letter of the member of the US Congress Warren Davidson was sent by Dilyan Georgiev of "Mitko Bivol" (probably Dimitar Stoyanov). (So far, such a letter has not been provided by the congressman's office. Warren Davidson distributed photos of his letter to the US Treasury Secretary through his official Twitter account four hours later, at 11:40 p.m. Bulgarian time.)
Written communication between the accused Dilyan Georgiev and an unidentified person, in which the name of the Minister of Interior (as of 28.10.2022 Boyko Rashkov) and a person indicated as "Karatista" were mentioned:
Numerous audio files are also available in the pre-trial proceedings for an organized crime group for influence peddling to carry out actions to remove senior magistrates and police officers. Three of them are telephone conversations between former police officer Krasimir Kamenov, who is wanted by Interpol as the instigator of the murder, and a witness in the case. The records refer to various facts and circumstances related to the criminal activity of the Organized Criminal Group, mentioning the following names, abbreviations and others: "Tsetso Vasilev", "Ovidiu", "Boboka", "Mitko", "Bird", " Dilyan" and "Boyan".
Conversation content 1
Krasimir Kamenov: No, brother, ... it's because of Ovidiu and because of the one from Belgrade - Tsetso Vasilev. You know?
Witness: Yes, yes, yes. I'm shouting that it's not something because of us, something to ...
Krasimir Kamenov: No, brother, are you crazy. Well, what to stalk you? What do you have to do with these people, huh? Witness: How should I know? Let me ask you.
Krasimir Kamenov: You don't know them, brother. Witness: You are more aware. Clear, clear.
Krasimir Kamenov: You don't know them that well. Witness: Because...
Krasimir Kamenov: Who will prove that you have relations with such people - no one.
Witness: Yes, yes, yes.
Krasimir Kamenov: We stay away from these things. I know them, but how do you know them?
Witness: That the woman was very worried. And I shout, what happened?
Krasimir Kamenov: No, well... she told me everything.
Conversation content 2
Krasimir Kamenov: These are exactly them - GDNP, even though he is not there.
Witness: Ah, again from above, from Misho Naumov...
Krasimir Kamenov: Yes, but it's not him this time. There are others, but they are still his people.
Witness: And they were going to chase this garbage, right?
Krasimir Kamenov: Emi every moment, every moment, brother, that's what I keep pressing...
Witness: Well...Bakhtii...
Krasimir Kamenov: Do you see? Any moment, take it easy! Everything is given, we are waiting, you understand?
Witness: Yes, yes, yes...
Krasimir Kamenov: So...what should we do now?
Conversation content 3
Krasimir Kamenov: He knows his stuff, Dilyan.
Witness: Ah, well....well.
Krasimir Kamenov: And they from ...him ...times...they invite him to question something, but they don't have anything concrete, do you understand?
Witness: Yes.
Krasimir Kamenov: Now I don't know what they wrote, we will see them, it will come to light. For now - complete silence...
Witness: Well, he'll be fine, that's the important thing...
Krasimir Kamenov: Yes, Boboka sent him lawyers, this-that...
Witness: Since we heard each other last night.
Krasimir Kamenov: Yes.
Witness: Last night we heard that I told him about today there, do I have car numbers, who is driving where.... What is he driving and we agreed to meet him today and the one from Bird...ahh...Mitko...
Krasimir Kamenov: Emi, don't you... you will give them to Boyan, and he will give them to this Patso, they have their connection from there, do you understand?
Witness: Yes.
Krasimir Kamenov: Since he needs them (inaudible)... He's outside, I'm calling him... take action, don't get confused, check them out, what's the matter, keep going! You're stalking him again, and if you were to interview him there, what would they do to a journalist, eh? Witness: Nothing, he is a journalist, what will they do to him?
Krasimir Kamenov: Well, I'm begging you, nothing will happen, don't bother them...we're pushing them on all the horns, there's no way.
Witness: OK, tomorrow I will see Boyan anyway to give him the money that is due for this month already...
Krasimir Kamenov: OK, brother...(unintelligible)...
Witness: …and I will give him the number of cars….
Krasimir Kamenov: ...when you have these things, give them to him to give them to those, yes.
Witness: Yes, yes, I will give them to him.
Krasimir Kamenov: Okay, brother! Okay bye!
Witness: Come on!
The volume of facts and circumstances that are checked and collected is extremely large, and the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office will continue to inform the public about the development of the criminal proceedings in a timely manner.
The present information is provided after a permit has been issued under Article 198 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the respective supervising prosecutors.