Exactly 10 years ago, the Gray Cardinal left the political scene and, although he was acquitted, he did not return
The Gray Cardinal and Lord of Silence. This is how Hristo Biserov was known while he was still in politics. And he never betrayed his style – no matter if he was accused, sued, or acquitted in three instances.
Exactly 10 years and 1 month have passed since November 3, 2013, when Biserov suddenly left the political scene. During that time, his name rarely came into the public space – mainly around the prosecution’s accusations, the court case and the claims of KPCONPI to his property (see box). This week, the Sofia City Court rejected them as well. The case will likely be appealed, but the outcome is clear.
Hristo Biserov defeated all institutions that pursue corruption at the highest levels of power. The forgotten Biserov is one of the few politicians from the A group who fell into this carousel, similar to the drum of the washing machine. Unlike the others, he passed through it in silence and never returned to the big game.
The political rise of Hristo Biserov is impressive. They took him down just as he was peaking. Deputy head of the parliament under the “Oresharski” government, against which there were protests every day. He was also deputy chairman of the DPS parliamentary group and second – after Dogan, in the movement.
He left of his own accord – that was the official version
In contrast to Lutvi Mestan, who 2 years later was excluded just as surprisingly and hastily. Much later, something similar happened to Mustafa Karadai, but in a much milder version. And these are not the only politicians from the top of the DPS who are leaving big politics. But unlike all of them, Hristo Biserov never publicly commented on what happened. And he didn’t complain. The deputies even created a temporary commission of inquiry to clarify the reasons for leaving his state posts, but, as usual, there was no result.
From law to politics
Known for his business acumen, Biserov is actually a lawyer by education. Even under communism, he was a lawyer in his hometown of Haskovo. On the territory of the regional center is the notorious customs office of the “Captain Andreevo” border crossing, with the influence of which he was associated for two decades.
After the democratic changes in 1989, he became a member of the Green Party, which was then a part of the SDF. When the small formation leaves the blue coalition, Biserov makes a shrewd move. He founded its “democratic” alternative – the Conservative Environmental Party, which merged into the SDS. He was first elected as a member of parliament in 1991. 3 years later, he became the general secretary of the SDS and remained in office until 2000. He was known as the treasurer, he led the blue structures and their leaders in the country. A lot of power and influence – not so silent at the time, but still subtle. When all the media were stalking the “rich” Sedesars and looking for where their money came from, they discovered his luxurious house in the center of Sofia. And after a while they discovered that there were even two of them.
The end of his career in the SDS came with the conflict between the then Prime Minister Ivan Kostov and the people around the Gray Cardinal in the SDS. The year is 2000, and Simeon of Saxe-Coburg is warming up to enter the government. Biserov and his entourage from the SDS want Kostov’s resignation, but they leave. In the elections in 2001, Hristo Biserov was not a candidate for deputy and for the next 4 years he was out of the National Assembly. He returned there in 2005, already as a member of the DPS together with former sedesari Yordan Tsonev and the now deceased Kamen Kostadinov. He remained in three parliaments, where he was a member of key committees, and finally in the leadership of the assembly. During that time, with colleagues from the DPS Yordan Tsonev and Kamen Kostadinov (with whom he was also in the SDS) on the sidelines of the parliament.
his wife and sons entered the electricity production and trading business
They are the owners of several photovoltaic plants.
The prosecution’s charges against Hristo Biserov and his stepson Ivaylo Glavinkov coincide with the departure from politics. The DANS reference is about money transfers of Hristo Biserov from his account in Switzerland to that of his son Ivaylo Glavinkov in Macedonia. They were accused
for money laundering, unpaid taxes in particularly large amounts and non-declaration of currency transactions
in front of the Audit Office. The prosecution dropped money laundering and the case was only for the last two crimes. Biserov and Glavinkov were acquitted in three instances. And Switzerland never sent the information requested by the Bulgarian authorities about Hristo Biserov’s bank transfers. The prosecution applied in the case only the so-called swift messages between banks. They contained data on various sums transferred from father to son – 315 thousand dollars and 82 thousand euros in 2012 and 35 thousand euros in 2013. These sums are far more modest than the possibilities with which Hristo Biserov has always been associated in urban legends. For several months in 2013, Biserov was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
The case against Hristo Biserov went through the three instances in record time and finally ended in 2016. All the while his membership in the DPS was frozen. After his acquittal, the party declared that they would return Biserov to their ranks, but this never happened. He never appeared in public again.
There is no evidence that the politician had bank accounts in Switzerland
KPCONPI wanted to take 1.98 million BGN from Hristo Biserov, his wife Maria and his stepson Ivaylo Glavinkov. This is the value of a house in Sofia, cars, money in bank accounts.
The commission began investigating the family in April 2015, after the prosecutor’s office notified them that charges had been brought against Biserov and Glavinkov. The revision of their incomes and expenses is from 2003. From it, it is clear that the family’s infamous house in the center of Sofia was built with a loan of BGN 300,000, and the plot was bought for BGN 145,000.
However, it is not clear who transferred money to Ivaylo Glavinkov to his account in the Macedonian bank. In the proceedings, Hristo Biserov claims that he has no accounts in Switzerland. Only the amounts transferred to him appear in the statements. One is the houses of Hristo Biserov in the center of Sofia.
Maria Biserova transferred BGN 360,000 to her son Ivaylo Glavinkov on the basis of a “loan”. KPCONPPI claimed the withdrawal of this amount as well.
The commission’s final conclusions are that the family’s income is BGN 2.26 million for the 10 years under review, their expenses are BGN 1.33 million, the acquired property is BGN 1.65 million, and the discrepancy in income is over BGN 700 thousand.
Hristo Biserov has presented additional evidence – his salary income as a deputy in all years.
The court rejects KPCONPI’s claims for several reasons. First, his accusation of money laundering was dropped by the prosecutor’s office, and that is the reason for the revision. Second, there is no evidence that Hristo Biserov was the holder of the Swiss accounts from which money was transferred to his son. Third, the loan money is no longer available. Fourth – the construction of the house was with a loan from a bank, which was returned.
In the end, KPCONPI was sentenced to pay a total of BGN 132,000 state tax for its claim and expenses for lawyers of Biserov, his wife and their son.
2023-12-10 07:00:00
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