"I have very serious reservations about the claim that this is the physical perpetrator of the murder of businessman Iliyan Filipov. He seems to be just a convenient person with a very rich criminal past“. This was said on bTV by lawyer and criminalist Lyudmil Rangelov in a comment on the investigation of the case.
He recalled that the detainee was convicted and spent 11 years in prison for a murder committed when he was about 19 years old. According to Rangelov, however, this crime was the result of an accidental fight, not a pre-planned murder.
“There is no reason not to rely on this moment in his criminal past,“ said the lawyer.
He identified the discovery of the weapon used to commit the murder, as well as the collection and analysis of all security camera recordings as key to the investigation. According to him, proving a possible connection between the physical perpetrator and the guarantor would be extremely difficult.
Rangelov emphasized that even if the person was identified as the perpetrator, this does not automatically mean that the police have enough evidence against him.
One of the main versions was also discussed in the conversation – whether the murder could be related to Iliyan Filipov's business.
According to former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Filip Gunev, international transport and logistics can in principle be used by organized crime to traffic drugs and other illegal goods.
Gunev also recalled the case from two years ago, in which trucks related to Filipov's business were detected in connection with drug trafficking. The businessman himself denied having any involvement in such activity at the time and stated that with a large fleet, individual drivers could commit violations.
According to Gunev, however, there is no publicly known information that Filipov himself has been investigated for involvement in drug trafficking.
The question of the possible motive remains among the main unknowns. Rangelov pointed out that in a person with such a large-scale business, there are many potential points of conflict, which makes prematurely indicating a specific version difficult.
The investigation must also establish whether a possible guarantor is behind the murder. This connection, according to Rangelov, would be among the most difficult to prove if it is indeed a contract crime.
Meanwhile, various versions continue to be discussed in the public sphere - from business conflict and drug trafficking to personal motives. At the moment, however, there is no officially confirmed reason for the murder, and the guilt of the detainee has not been established with a final verdict.