In connection with pre-trial proceedings for an organized criminal group for property fraud, assigned to the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office for investigation, we provide the following information.
Under the supervision and leadership of the SGP, an investigation is being conducted into a case of an organized criminal group engaged in real estate fraud on the territory of the municipality of Varna.
The case was initiated based on materials sent by a decree of 06.06.2025 to the acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria on pre-trial proceedings initiated by the District Prosecutor's Office-Varna by a decree of 25.04.2024. The case was assigned to the SGP on the basis of Art. 195, para. 5 of the Criminal Procedure Code in order to fully and objectively collect evidence and clarify the facts of the case.
Six persons were charged with organized criminal group, documentary crimes and money laundering.
After the case was filed with the General Prosecutor's Office, another person was brought in as a defendant for organized criminal group and money laundering. The accused was detained for a period of up to 72 hours, and the Sofia City Court, at the request of the General Prosecutor's Office, took a measure of preventive detention. Subsequently, the preventive measure was amended, and the supervising prosecutor at the State Police Department imposed a ban on the accused from leaving the Republic of Bulgaria.
In the course of the investigation conducted so far, witness interrogations, searches and seizures have been carried out, correspondence has been detained and seized, material evidence has been collected, expert conclusions have been prepared and written evidence has been collected.
The investigation has so far identified the participants and the leader of the organized crime group. According to the evidence collected since 2010, numerous real estate transactions have been established, the sellers of which identified themselves as such with false notarial deeds. Through them, the members of the organized crime group personally and through controlled persons obtained sketches from the State Police Criminal Investigation Department - Varna and tax assessment certificates, after which the properties were transferred through purchase – sale or donation. In order to avoid doubt about the validity of the transactions, the properties were subsequently transferred. Evidence was also collected in the case for the acquisition of two apartments, owned by deceased elderly people who lived alone, through false documents.
At the end of January and the beginning of February 2026, at the request of the Bulgarian General Prosecutor's Office, the Bulgarian City Court imposed a precautionary measure of seizure to secure the property sanction provided for in the law in relation to two commercial companies and a security of seizure was granted in favor of the state in view of the provided criminal liability for money laundering.
Additional information will be provided on the development of the case.