The Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov proposes that four prosecutors and three investigators, who participated in the case known as the “Eight Dwarfs”, should be disciplined. Inspections have found that they have been idle for extended periods of time, and there are other violations. Proposed for punishment are the accusers from the closed specialized prosecutor’s office Dilyan Deyanov, Iveta Markovich, Kiril Peychinov and Miroslav Iliev, as well as the investigators Svetlana Stoyanova-Vaize, Neli Todorova and Petranka Rabadzhieva.
Deyanov is the only magistrate charged for his actions in the investigation. He will be responsible for an official crime because he had returned a large amount of gold coins owned by Yavor Zlatanov. He is the main victim of the “Eight Dwarfs” affair. The cases against him began after his father Iliya Zlatanov sought help from former investigator Petyo Petrov-Evroto because of a dispute with his son. The two are partners in the factory for the production of elevators “Izamet”.
After the former investigator “got involved”, Zlatanov-sin was arrested, and several hundred thousand euros plus hundreds of gold coins with a total weight of about 35 kilograms were seized from his safes. Later, the valuables were returned, but not to the accused, but to his father. However, he claims that the gold did not reach him, but was taken by Petrov’s ex-wife – Lyubena Pavlova. She is also accused along with her former husband. However, there are no charges against prosecutor Peychinov, who also returned gold coins several times.
Where are the coins seized from Zlatanov-sin to date is not clear. His father claims that Petrov and those around him found fake invoices for the purchase of the gold from an Austrian dealer so that they could justify the demand for their return.
While in detention, Yavor Zlatanov became seriously ill and one of his kidneys had to be removed. All the time, pressure was put on him to give up his company shares and to accept a new partner in “Izamet” – the boxer Kristiyan Hristov, close to the former investigator Petrov. In the end, Zlatanov-son agreed and the documents were signed in Lozenets Hospital while he was waiting for hemodialysis. His father is also taken there. A general meeting of the company is formally held in the hospital. Just a few days ago it was declared null and void by the court.
The violations in the “Eight Dwarfs” case were known to the former chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev as early as 2020. Then an inspection was carried out and a report was presented to him by a prosecutor from the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office. Geshev did not take any measures. Only after Sarafov became the head of the state prosecution in this case did a stir appear.
However, in the meantime, Petrov fled Bulgaria and there were even rumors that he died in Dubai. A day ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the local authorities had no information that the former investigator was in the Arab Emirates.
