Bulgaria court distrains BGN 1.5 mln property of ex-MP Hristo Biserov

Sofia. At the request of the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity Sofia City Court levied distraint on property of former MP Htristo Biserov and his step-son Ivaylo Glavinkov, worth BGN 1,555,883, the press office of the commission announced, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

The inspection of the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity started in 2013 after a pre-court proceeding was initiated against the two over tax frauds and money laundering.

In the frames of the check, Bulgarian authorities have asked for information seven European countries, including Macedonia and Switzerland.

The distrained property of Hristo Biserov is worth BGN 1,262,483 and includes real estate in Sofia, a car, 9 bank accounts. The distrained property of Ivaylo Glavinkov is worth BGN 293,400 and includes a villa building in Dolna Banya, shares in five companies, and nine bank accounts.

FOCUS News Agency recalls:

Mr Biserov resigned as MRF Deputy Chairperson and also declared his desire to leave the National Assembly thus resigning as its Deputy Chairperson at the beginning of November, 2013. In a press release it was announced that his motives to resign were entirely personal.

Short after that Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office initiated a pre-court proceeding over tax frauds and money laundering against Hristo Biserov and his stepson Ivaylo Glavinkov and over document forgery against Hristo Biserov.

Bulgarian Prosecutor General, Sotir Tsatsarov, received a written report from the chairperson of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) about possible violations against the state financial and tax system. The information was about Hristo Biserov and Ivaylo Glavinkov. It was connected with money transfers in US dollars and euro from an account in a bank in a European country to an account to another bank in a European country. The holders of the accounts were Hristo Biserov and Ivaylo Glavinkov. There were also deposits, money drawing, and bank transfers from these accounts to companies registered in offshore financial centres (the Seychelles).

At the order of the Prosecutor General, the information was immediately referred to Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

A pre-court proceeding on tax evasion and money laundering was initiated against Hristo Biserov and Ivatlo Glavinkov, as well as a pre-court proceeding over documents forgery (filing of declaration with incorrect information) against Hristo Biserov.

The investigation department with Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on the case, as well as overall tax inspections on the two physical persons and the commercial entities connected with them.

On November 15 Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office pressed charges against former MP with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party and former Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly Hristo Biserov and his stepson Ivaylo Glavinkov.

Hristo Biserov has been charged with filing a fraudulent declaration to the Bulgarian National Audit Office concerning the property acquired, income received, securities given and expenses incurred in 2012, in which he did not declare his accounts held at a Swiss bank.

He has also been charged with conducting real estate transactions from December 13, 2012 to February 21, 2013 concerning property, which he knew or suspected, was illegally acquired. The transactions were at the amount of USD 314,529 and EUR 117,192.

Ivaylo Glavinkov has been charged with receiving from December 13, 2012 to February 21, 2013 the amount of USD 314,529 and EUR 117,192 into his bank account, which he knew or suspected, was illegally acquired.

The judge set bail at BGN 25,000 for each of the two men.

Back in November 2013 the information about the initiated pre-court proceeding incited vigorous commentaries and exchange of accusations of information leak between the CEDB and the MRF.

“What is spoken about this case concerns serious financial transfers made from one country to another,” said Tsvetan Tsvetanov, MP with the parliamentary group of the oppositional Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) and former interior minister.

“The authorities in charge will rule on this case,” Tsvetan Tsvetanov remarked.

“The fact that Biserov’s resignation over personal reasons was voted at parliament in such a silent manner, without any detailed information, made the greater part of the parliamentary group of the CEDB to vote either against or to abstain. Me personally, I abstained, because when there is a resignation of such a key figure of the parliament, there is a need to answer to certain questions before the society and the MPs themselves to be introduced to the real motives to resign from such a high-ranking political position and from the parliamentary leadership,” Tsvetanov commented further.

Asked to identify his sources of information and for how long he had been aware of it Tsvetanov said: “Long enough, so as to be able to draw such conclusions.”
Tsvetanov’s statement provoked a caustic response on behalf of Lyutvi Mestan, chairperson of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

“I was highly surprised to learn that there are people in the country, who probably have access to data from classified materials. My statement refers to the commentary of Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who presented details around the case of Mr Biserov – and namely, Tsvetanov claimed that the case concerns money transfers from one country to another,” Lyutvi Mestan said speaking with journalists at parliament.

“Tsvetan Tsvetanov made this statement before the media before noon,” Mestan commented further.

“If Tsvetanov’s statement was made on information from the Prosecutor’s Office, then I offer my apology. However, if his claim comes before the official announcement of the Prosecutor’s Office, then I would like to ask the Prosecutor General of Bulgaria who has been given access to classified information and why,” Lyutvi Mestan remarked.

CEDB leader Boyko Borisov did not miss to comment on the front-burner news of the day and expressed his opinion in the social networks.

“Who warned the high-ranking leadership of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party to get rid of politician Biserov before authorities ask for withdrawal of his immunity,” Boyko Borisov wrote in his latest post published on Facebook.

“While certain people are making clumsy attempts to distract the public attention, the deputy chairperson of the MRF and the deputy chairperson of the National Assembly, Hristo Biserov, turned to be the centre of a large-scale money laundering investigation.

Obviously the investigation against Biserov reveals that there are some interesting processes underway inside the MRF party. However, the major question here is who informed Dogan [MRF honorary chairperson Ahmed Dogan] about the operation against Biserov,” Borisov writes further in his commentary.

“Who leaked the information from the services to the seraglios so as the whole investigation to be carried out against ordinary citizen Biserov instead of against politician Biserov?

Since Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev claimed this morning that he did not know anything about an investigation of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), then who disclosed this information?

I congratulate the Prosecutor’s Office in the person of the Prosecutor General for the brave and uncompromising actions,” the post reads.

Later on today Vladimir Pisanchev, Chairperson of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), commented on the accusations of information leakage from the SANS before the official announcement of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

“The probe on the signal for former Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) MP Hristo Biserov started not a long time ago,” Vladimir Pisanchev said speaking before journalists at Bulgarian Parliament after a sitting of the Control of the Security Services, Use and Employment of Special Intelligence Means and Access to Data under the Electronic Communications Act Committee.

“The SANS received information about dubious financial transactions. Our employees checked the authenticity of the information and we filed a signal to the Prosecutor’s Office,” Mr Pisanchev added.

“The moment we became certain of the authenticity of our information we filed a signal to the Prosecutor’s Office. The law obliged us to do this,” Vladimir Pisanchev remarked.

When asked when the probe on the signal for Mr Hristo Biserov had started the SANS Chairperson replied: “Not a long time ago” but declined to specify what this meant.

“I could not confirm there is an information leakage from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) before we have finalised all checks,” the Agency’s Chairperson Vladimir Pisanchev said speaking before journalists at Bulgarian Parliament after a sitting of the Control of the Security Services, Use and Employment of Special Intelligence Means and Access to Data under the Electronic Communications Act Committee, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed.

“This subject can be interpreted in different ways,” Mr Pisanchev remarked.

When asked whether an information leakage from the SANS was possible Vladimir Pisanchev said: “I could not confirm this before we have finalised all checks. If there is an information leakage, we will carry out an internal check.”