Banker Vasilev Submits Death Threat Signal to Bulgarian Prosecution

Tsvetan Vasilev turned to Bulgaria's prosecution after reportedly having lodged a signal with Austria's criminal intelligence service BK. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Deputy Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov announced Tsvetan Vasilev has referred to the institution in relation to an alleged death threat.

Earlier, MP Delyan Peevski, who purportedly issued the threats, made a similar move against the banker.

Vasilev submitted a signal to Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov Monday, website Dnevnik.bg quoted Sarafov as saying.

Its content matched the description made in Austrian daily Der Standard's article published online early on the same day.

The text written by Austrian journalist Markus Bernath suggests the Bulgarian banker turned to Austria's criminal intelligence authorities (BK) over a phone call and SMS which contained threats issued by lawmaker Delyan Peevski and which he received while in Vienna.

Der Standard argues BK then reportedly sent a request to Sofia to issue an arrest warrant against Peevski, but neither Prosecution nor Interior Ministry officials in Bulgaria say they have received a notice from Vienna.

Unlike the article, official documents that Vasilev handed to prosecution did not implicate Peevski's name, but only utter Vasilev's suggestion he might be the source of the mentioned death threats.

His complaint lodged with the BK has also been attached to the signal, Sarafov announced, reminding an arrest warrant could be issued for Peevski (or for anybody) only if the Austrian prosecution formally asks Bulgarian counterparts to do so.

Interior Ministry officials, on the other hand, said Monday Peevski's immunity had to be stripped if he was to undergo investigation.

The co-ruling Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS)'s lawmaker has denied having any involvement in murder plots against his former ally, whom he claims he has not seen or talked to for months.

Peevski also describes journalist Markus Bernath and the BK official the banker turned to for his signal as Vasilev's "paid claquers".

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