Notorious Bulgarian Gambling Mogul Vasil Bozhkov Released from House Arrest

In a recent judicial decision that has stirred public interest, former gambling mogul, businessman, and politician, Vasil Bozhkov, has been released from house arrest by the Sofia City Court. The court granted Bozhkov's release against a bail of BGN 130,000, considering the eight-month period he spent under house arrest as a new circumstance. However, it's important to note that the court's decision is not final and can still be challenged by the prosecution or by Bozhkov himself.

During the court's assessment, Judge Ivan Koev highlighted two key questions: the existence of a real danger of committing a crime and the possibility of Bozhkov absconding. While previous courts did not find evidence of a danger of committing a crime, the Sofia Court of Appeal, which ordered house arrest in September, expressed concerns about Bozhkov's potential flight risk.

As the pre-trial proceedings have concluded and the case has been submitted to the court with all evidence collected, Bozhkov's ability to influence the evidence collection process is limited. However, the court determined that there is currently no real risk of Bozhkov absconding, leading to the decision to lift the house arrest.

The court also took into account Bozhkov's behavior during his period of house arrest, noting that he adhered to the conditions and did not abuse the opportunity to leave his address without permission. Furthermore, Bozhkov did not request a change in his detention measure, indicating a lack of inclination to misuse his freedom.

Despite lifting the house arrest, the court emphasized that Bozhkov cannot be left without a detention measure or be assigned the lightest measure of signature. As such, a measure of remand remains in place, although continued detention under house arrest was deemed unnecessary and unjustified repression by the court.

Bozhkov's lawyer, Georgi Gatev, revealed that a measure of BGN 500,000 was imposed on Bozhkov in a separate investigation related to trafficking of cultural and historical values, but it has not been paid to date due to Bozhkov's seized property. Bozhkov expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the case, alleging that the supervising prosecutor focused solely on financial matters rather than investigating crimes.

In response to questions about paying the bail, Bozhkov remained evasive but firmly stated his intention not to pay the BGN 500,000 bond related to the investigation into cultural-historical values and money laundering.

Vasil Bozhkov is a prominent figure in Bulgarian politics and business. He is widely regarded as the wealthiest individual in Bulgaria, with his fortune estimated to range between 1 and 3 billion Bulgarian levs. Bozhkov is commonly referred to by the nickname "The Skull" (Черепа, Cherepa), and according to internal communications within the US State Department, he has been labeled as "the most notorious underworld figure in Bulgaria."

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