The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office agrees that the businessman Vasil Bozhkov should be released in exchange for half a million BGN cash bail, the court said. A few days ago, the city court set a bail of BGN 130,000 for Bozhkov, but the prosecutor's office protested the amount.
There is also an appeal against the decision of the city court by the businessman's lawyers, who insist that he be released without bail.
The final decision is expected to be made by the appeals court this week,
On May 7, the Sofia City Court released businessman Vasil Bozhkov from house arrest. The court is motivated by the fact that eight months have already passed since his detention, BTA recalls.
According to the court, there is no danger that Bozhkov will commit a crime while at liberty. There is no risk of the businessman influencing the collection of evidence either. There is also no danger that he will go into hiding.
Bozhkov remains free on bail in the amount of BGN 130,000.
In its reasoning, the court noted that Bozhkov had a strict behavior since the beginning of his arrest, he had not violated his probation. It would be unjustified procedural repression if Bozhkov remains under house arrest, the court pointed out.
The defense of the businessman, and he himself, requested that he be released from house arrest without a measure or signature.
On April 23, Vasil Bozhkov was accused of extortion, official and corruption crimes, as the head of an organized criminal group.
Criminal proceedings were initiated in the closed Specialized Prosecutor's Office in 2019 in connection with data on a criminal group that aimed to commit official and corruption crimes.
We remind you that the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor's Office entered the offices of Vasil Bozhkov in January 2020. Later it became clear that the state treasury was damaged by more than BGN 500 million, and the State Gambling Commission did not provide data for checks carried out regarding the manner of the state fee due.
At the beginning of 2020, shortly after the action in the commission and the outbreak of the scandal with Vasil Bozhkov's fees, the then Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov changed the composition of the commission. As an accomplice of Vasil Bozhkov, its boss, Alexander Georgiev, who was arrested precisely during the operation, was pointed out. He probably hides behind the initials A.G. in the indictment.
Other detainees were Todor Markov and Plamen Georgiev, as such initials are also written in today's announcement from the prosecutor's office.
Then an arrest was also requested for the former member and chairman of the commission Ognemir Mitev.
Only 6-7 months later, in August 2018, the last government of Boyko Borisov adopted a decree closing the State Commission on Gambling, and its functions began to be performed by the NRA.
Vasil Bozhkov returned to Bulgaria in August 2023 after several years of exile in Dubai. He was arrested at Sofia Airport. A few days later, the businessman was released under house arrest. The National Revenue Agency seized his companies for nearly BGN 50 million.