Bulgarian Prosecution Formally Charges 5 'Killers'

Last Friday the Bulgarian police arrested 20 persons during a special operation codenamed "the Killers". Photo by the Ministry of Interior/BGNES

The Sofia District Prosecutor's Office filed Monday 10 counts for the murder of controversial football boss Yuri Galev against five persons arrested during Friday's special police operation codenamed “the Killers”.

Friday Bulgarian police detained 20 persons in an operation targeting an alleged organized criminal group engaged in paid murders. Interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said the police forces targeted persons from all links in the chain - people who paid for, organized, and actually committed murders.

It was later confirmed that the group was suspected of organizing the July murder of Samokov football boss and controversial figure Yuriy Galev. Galev, who was brutally shot June 20, passed away in hospital on June 30.

The “Killers” police operation was carried out at five places in Bulgaria - Sofia, Varna, northern Bulgarian town of Cherven Bryag, Black Sea resort town of Kiten, and Samokov near Sofia.

The formal charges filed Monday by the Prosecutor's Office are as follows: Yanko Popov aka Tutsi was charged with ordering the murder of Galev. Petar Stoyanov aka the Chieftain (a Bulgarian sumo dignitary) was charged with organizing and heading an organized crime group, as well as being an accomplice in its activities. Georgi Petkov aka Damchi was charged for willfully attempting to murder and murdering Yuri Galev. Vasil Kostov and Metodi Ivanov are charged with being Petkov's accomplices in the activities. The latter three are also accused on other counts relating to Galev's murder.

Further investigations on the case are underway and witnesses are and have been questioned.

Part of the “Killers” group members are also connected to some other high-profile mafia killings in the recent past, interior minister Tsvetanov said, but did not offer more details.

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