Alexey Petrov's heirs have condemned the prosecutor's office

The widow and daughter of the murdered businessman Alexey Petrov have finally condemned the prosecutor's office to pay them compensation in the amount of over 32,700 euros. The decision of the Supreme Court of Cassation puts an end to the judicial saga that began because of the long-standing accusations against him of money laundering and embezzlement, reports the newspaper „Sega“.

Compensation for non-pecuniary and material damages

Of the awarded amount, nearly 20,450 euros are for non-pecuniary damages caused by the illegal accusation against Petrov, and the remaining over 12,270 euros are for material damages related to legal defense costs. The state prosecution must also pay the statutory interest accrued from February 8, 2020, when the businessman filed the case, until the final payment of the amount.

The accrued interest currently amounts to over 25,300 euros, which means that the total liability of the prosecution has almost doubled. Separately, the institution was also ordered to cover the costs of the civil case.

Alexey Petrov claimed compensation of over 102,200 euros due to the case against him, separate from the “Octopus“ trial. In this case, he was accused of participating in the embezzlement of over 1.69 million euros from two companies in the period 2006-2009, as well as in money laundering for the period 2008-2015. The charges were brought against him in July 2016.

The reasons of the Supreme Court of Cassation

With its final decision, the Supreme Court of Cassation increases the compensation for non-pecuniary damage to just over 10,200 euros for each of the two women. The Supreme Magistrates accept that the Court of Appeal incorrectly calculated the period during which Petrov suffered non-pecuniary damage. The starting point should not be July 15, 2016, when he was charged, but August 16, 2013, when the case against him was initiated.

The court takes into account Petrov's public profile as a businessman and president of the “Bulgarian National Karate Federation“ Association, therefore it accepts that the damages suffered are more significant than usual. According to the magistrates, the damaged personal and professional reputation cannot be fully restored even after an acquittal.

Murder investigation remains without progress

Meanwhile, the investigation into the murder of Alexei Petrov appears to be making no significant progress. Three years after his shooting, there is no public information even about suspects. It is also unknown whether experts have managed to hack into his phone and extract data that could aid the investigation.