The Sofia City Court remanded in custody seven out of a total of eight people accused of participating in an organized criminal group that extorted clients of a quick loan company through coercion, threats, including with weapons, causing bodily harm and kidnappings in order to obtain monetary and property benefits.
The measure is not final and is subject to appeal and protest.
The court remanded in custody Tsvetan Dobrev, Lari Ignatov, Krum Ignatov, Kiril Tsonchev, Alexander Mladenov, Georgi Zhivankin and Mario Mitov. The court did not take a diversion measure with regard to Iliyan Nikolitsov. He is free, if there is no other measure imposed on him by the court.
The judge read part of the testimonies of some of the witnesses. They say that after the victims took out loans from the companies and began to fall behind with their payments, the defendants threatened both them and their families. Some of the witnesses said that they were beaten.
The court accepted that there was no danger for any of the defendants to abscond, since they all have permanent addresses. Regarding the danger of committing another crime, it pointed out that two of them were charged with the current charges while they were on probation.
According to the prosecutor's office, there is a reasonable assumption that they committed the crimes they are accused of. The evidence is the interrogations of numerous witnesses and the seized material materials. In addition, there is a danger that they will commit another crime or abscond if a lighter detention measure is imposed on them. The state prosecutor's office added that the defendants made maximum efforts to cover up the criminal activity with legal ones. They are partners, managers and employees of payday loan companies.
According to the defendants' defense attorney, lawyer Iliyan Vassilev, the data does not substantiate guilt in relation to any of them. According to this logic, it is pointless to discuss the possible actions they would take if a lighter measure were imposed on them. According to the lawyer, the prosecution did not present evidence to the court that would refute its thesis. "The state prosecution has all the registrations of the companies and the tax statements for their income. If they are presented to the court, it will become clear that we are talking about a registered, legal activity in providing loans", Vassilev added to the judges. He stated that no preventive measure should be taken.
We recall that the defendants were detained in a joint operation of the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office and the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption on March 11. It conducted 45 searches and seizures of homes, offices and vehicles. Electronic devices, cash, items including batons, boxing gloves, handcuffs, knives, clubs and many documents were seized, and witnesses were questioned.