The judoka Radoslav hid 8.8 million BGN from sales of cheap dresses online

The goods passed on invoices through fictitious companies of bums, in which the VAT owed to the state remained

For a year, the Economic Police and the BOP sector in Blagoevgrad have been investigating an online clothing store to find evidence of tax crimes for BGN 8.8 million.

During a special operation, the owner Radoslav Stamenov, 33, the manager of the store Botka Zareva, 31, and Hristo Koichev, 40, a native of Sofia with dozens of companies, were arrested a few days ago.

The three were briefly in custody,

and then the district court set them free with BGN 20,000 cash bail for each. The motive was that there was a reasonable assumption that the three had committed criminal activity, but there was no evidence that the accused had absconded or committed another crime.

Stamenov’s mother, 54-year-old Stoika, is also in the group, but she did not stay behind bars, but has a “signature” measure due to 60% disability.

The massive investigation began on April 12, 2021, and the district attorney’s office was notified in March of this year. This became clear during the three’s remand hearing, when one of the lawyers exchanged remarks with the prosecutor in the case.

“For a year and three months, the prosecutor’s office has not collected any evidence,” Stamenov lawyer Galya Galabova defended her client. Prosecutor Milena Mileva replied that the prosecutor’s office only worked on the case for three months, and before that it was with the police.

“I don’t know why the prosecutor’s office was neglected. If there are any disagreements between the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of the Interior, this should not be a burden of accusations”, answered the defender.

The disclosures of millions were eventually reached as a result of the joint actions of the District Prosecutor’s Office with the “Combating Economic Crime” and “Fighting Organized Crime” sectors of the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Blagoevgrad, the state prosecution announced.

Evidence of committed tax crimes has been collected

and money laundering. The main organizer and participant in the criminal activity – Radoslav Stamenov – has been identified. Together with persons related to him, the man was actively involved in the trade of clothes and accessories in commercial establishments throughout the country.

In addition, with an online store, goods were delivered to Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and other countries. From their sale, a particularly large monetary profit was generated and, with a series of actions, the payment of the taxes owed to the state was avoided.

According to initial data for the period from 2017 to 2021, their amount is BGN 8.8 million, the prosecutor’s office announced.

The illegal activity was carried out by importing from Greece large quantities of clothes with documents for intra-Community acquisition not yet established. They were subsequently sold in retail outlets and internet platforms.

Stamenov is the manager and owner of 4 companies related to one of his mother Stoika’s companies.

It was her company “Creative Dress” that, according to documents, “purchased” goods in particularly large quantities from numerous “suppliers” in Bulgaria.
In reality, they were illegally imported from Greece, and the companies appearing in the documents were of the missing companies type, i.e. without activity and ownership by persons of low social status.

In this way, the payment of VAT and corporate tax in particularly large amounts was avoided.
Evidence has been gathered that after the sales were made, a group of persons

withdrew large sums of money from ATMs

through multiple foreign payment instruments. Subsequently, the money was left in Stamenov’s office.

It was established that he and persons related to him invested large sums of money, acquired from the illegal activity carried out, in the purchase of movable and immovable property, with which they actually performed money laundering.

In the course of the investigation, numerous witnesses were questioned, including fictitious owners and managers of the commercial companies, documents of the companies were requested, a tax analysis and report was carried out by the Central Administration of the National Revenue Agency-Sofia, in which the criminal schemes and abuse of VAT by the commercial companies were established.

The company through which the online store operated was owned by Radoslav’s grandfather – Kiril. After his death in 2021, it was inherited by his mother Stoika, and at the beginning of 2022 it was already transferred to a Macedonian citizen and had a changed name.

Some of the transactions were made with 12 companies of Kiril Koichev from Sofia. He is the owner and manager of 55 commercial companies. All were seized by the Sofia District Court at the request of KPCONPI, a reporter’s check found.

Koichev is accused by the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office in another case for tax crimes. During searches of addresses, numerous stamps of various companies were found.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the money was withdrawn from ATMs after Botka Zareva gave cards to various persons, and they took the sums to Stamenov, who in turn invested them in real estate.

“Withdrawing money from an ATM is not a crime. Notarial acts are attached to the case, but

no analysis has been made of how they were acquired, with what money and what their relationship is

with this accusation. There is no evidence to support it,” said lawyer Galabova.

In front of the court, she also explained that Stamenov was the manager of some of the companies, but the submission of reports-declarations to the National Revenue Agency was made by an accountant, the client did not sign them.

He also explained that “Kreativ” traded with many companies and the fact that some of them were unscrupulous could not be attributed to Stamenov’s fault.

Some time ago, a tax audit was also carried out, and the act was later canceled and no such obligations, such as the accusation, were established.

“Besides the inspection and audits of the companies, I have also been inspected many times as an individual,” Stamenov said in front of the court and asked to be released to see his two-month-old son.

Botka Zareva’s lawyer clarified that she was a manager, not a manager of companies.

“The accusation is that untruths in tax declarations were confirmed through various companies. Zareva, however, was not a manager of companies, did not submit tax returns, did not keep accounts”, said lawyer Penko Nenov.

And Koichev’s defense denied that he had anything to do with the accusation.

“I don’t understand how he sympathizes with the other accused. He provided invoices from 12 of his companies, but this cannot be proof”, commented lawyer Tsveta Rangelova.

The brand has established itself for several years, and for 2020 it was even in the top 20 online retailers. There are physical stores in Blagoevgrad and in Studentski Grad in Sofia.

Trades online in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Croatia, North Macedonia. The women’s clothes he sells are at relatively decent prices – there are about 10 euros each and up to 30 at the most.

Radoslav Stamenov is from Dupnitsa, but he lived and studied in Kyustendil. He was a judo competitor, hence his nickname Judista. Before he started trading in clothes, he was a security guard at restaurants.

His parents, Stoika and Stanimir, were also involved in trade in Kyustendil, but have been living in Blagoevgrad for several years.

On October 26, 2021, the Second Police Station-Blagoevgrad received a report of a theft from a private home in the city. Forensic investigators found that between October 19 and around 8:30 a.m. on October 26

BGN 250,000 were taken from a metal safe in a home. The police do not say who the owner is,

but word spread quickly in the city that the theft was from Stamenov’s home, which was also used as a company office.
In February this year the man registered “Creative Homes”, which is engaged in construction, purchase and sale of real estate and renting, and has even started construction of a site in Sofia.

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