On their last working day, the special prosecutor’s office gave them the biggest gift, commented Nadezhda Yordanova
Due to the lack of data on a committed crime, the specialized prosecutor’s office has terminated the investigations against two of the persons on the “Magnitsky” list – the MP from the DPS Delyan Peevski and the former deputy chairman of the Bureau for the Control of Special Intelligence Means Ilko Zhelyazkov. That’s what he said in the program “Above all” on BNR Valentina Madzharova, head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office.
“This was done because, including the examining authority in the person of the National Revenue Agency (NAA), no illegal activity was detected. In this case, the prosecutor is in limited competence, he does not have this special knowledge, and ultimately the supervising prosecutor pronounces on the facts and circumstances as they are according to the performed inspection.”
Regarding the third person on the “Magnitsky” list – Vasil Bozhkov, who is in Dubai, the investigations continue, Madzharova added. She specified that after the suspension of the activities of the special structures from tomorrow, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office will work on the cases.
“On today’s last working day, the specialized prosecutor’s office gave the biggest gift to several people – Delyan Peevski and Ilko Zhelyazkov. This showed that the arguments to close these structures, because they were used politically, are quite adequate,” he told MPs, the resigned Minister of Justice, Nadezhda Yordanova, while commenting on the finally adopted changes to the Law on the Judiciary, related to the European Prosecutor’s Office.
“NOW” REMINDER
At the beginning of June last year, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on three Bulgarians and 64 related companies, arguing for their significant role in corruption in Bulgaria. These were the gambling boss Vasil Krumov Bozhkov, the MP from the DPS Delyan Slavchev Peevski and Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov, former deputy. director of the State Agency for Technical Operations (DATO) and already former deputy chairman of the National Office for the Control of Special Intelligence Means. The US press release specifically emphasized that this is the most far-reaching single anti-corruption Magnitsky Act to date. The official document made it clear that the US government was “cutting off Bozhkov, Peevski and Zhelyazkov and their companies’ access to the US financial system.”. All their property in American territory is also blocked.
Then it became clear that the prosecutor’s office had created files, including regarding Peevski and Zhelyazkov. This was found out from a letter of the Bulgarian state prosecution to the USA, in which it wanted more information. “The information disclosed by the competent authorities of the USA constitutes a basis for taking action by the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office”, the letter said, specifying that after the announcement of the sanctions against Peevski, a case file with number 7127/2020 was opened and that there is also one against Ilko Zhelyazkov under number 7129/2021
“The cases are being investigated with a view to gathering evidence of corruption crimes committed by Bulgarian citizens. If such crimes are established, they should fall within the scope of the UN Convention against Corruption. The information that serves as the basis for the sanctions against Peevski and his companies can help the investigation for its successful and complete completion,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Therefore, the state prosecution “kindly asked” the US to provide in writing the data it has, why Delyan Peevski was sanctioned as a corrupt oligarch. “We count on your kind cooperation and thank you in advance. We take this opportunity to assure the US Department of Justice of our intentions for a fruitful cooperation,” the letter concluded. Both the document for Peevski and that for Ilko Zhelyazkov were signed by prosecutors.
Immediately after that, Geshev’s office announced: “The information that served as the basis for the sanctions imposed on them was requested in connection with the investigations initiated, after a self-referral by the prosecutor’s office.” It was specified that the data would help to clarify the subject of the initiated checks and a possible future criminal investigation. The prosecution even claimed that the US must have reached some conclusions thanks to their work. Now it is clear that everything is over.
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