Bulgaria Right-Wing Implicates President in 'Octopus' Mafia Ties

The former head of Bulgaria’s National Investigative Office and right-wing party member, Atanas Atanasov, says the President has committed abuse of power when vouching for alleged ringleader, Aleksei Petrov. Photo by BGNES

The former head of Bulgaria’s National Investigative Office, Atanas Atanasov, says President, Georgi Parvanov, interfered personally to stop Aleksei Petrov from being fired as a secret agent.

Atanasov, who is also member of the leadership of the right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), spoke Friday for the Bulgarian TV channel Nova Televizia, saying Petrov’s personal file includes an order to fire him as a secret agent, dating from February 2003. The order has been issued by the then Interior Minister and current constitutional judge, Georgi Petkanov. Petrov’s dismissal has been proposed by the head of the National Investigative Office at the time, Ivan Chobanov.

“The order is still in Petrov’s file. It has never been rescinded. Nevertheless he remained a secret agent all the way to 2008,” Atanasov said, adding Petkanov and Chobanov must be held accountable as of why the order had never been carried out.

The DSB member claimed he had sound information Parvanov was the one to personally interfere and vouch for Petrov, stopping his discharge, adding the President committed abuse of power with the above move.

On Thursday, during a press conference Parvanov said that “many people in the Parliament and the individual with whom Petrov had a joint company (aiming at Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov) need to be questioned” in the so-called “Octopus” case.

Atanasov explained he had obtained the information about the President and the “Octopus” very recently, but had verified it in detail and is certain this is the truth.

Aleksei Petrov was arrested together with 13 other people on February 10 in Operation Octopus when police searched his offices at the Spartak pool complex, which he owns, together with a number of other premises around Sofia. He is charged with numerous crimes including racketeering, leading an organized crime group, leaks of classified information and coercion.

 

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