Alleged 'Octopus' Criminal Denies Draining Bulgaria Steel Mill

Plamen Stoyanov, who was arrested as part of the recent ‘Octopus’ police operation, has stated that he was not involved in draining money from the closed Kremikovtzi steel mill.

Stoyanov, speaking to bTV on Monday, said that he hopes that his arrest was just a mistake and that he has documents to prove his innocence. He was released on a BGN 20 000 bail last week.

Stoyanov said he and his brother Yordan, aka the Dambovtsi Brothers, had not purchased any land on the site of Kremikovtzi and had only made legal deals at the mill. He added that the purpose of the closure of Kremikovtzi was to evict former owner Pramod Mittal.

Regarding Aleksei Petrov, the ex secret agent who was also arrested in the ‘Octopus’ operation, Stoyanov said that he had never met him before they saw each other in custody.

Bulgaria’s Unit for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) was involved in 2 searches Friday of the offices of the Dambovtsi Brothers.

The ‘Octopus’ suspects, including former DANS secret agent Aleksei Petrov, are charged with a wide range of criminal activities, including racketeering, financial crimes, and enticement into prostitution. A total of 14 men and women were initially arrested on February 10 in the police operation codenamed "Octopus".

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