MOSCOW, December 26 (RAPSI) - The prosecutor's office of the city of Silistra on the complaint of Russian businessman Andrey Varganov opened a criminal case against his former business partner Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov for a number of articles, including fraud, forgery of documents and misappropriation of property.

In 2014, Varganov organized a business in Bulgaria jointly with local partners for the delivery and sale of coal. However, in the summer of 2017 it turned out that the funds transferred to the account of the established company were illegally appropriated. Moreover, in 2015-2016, hundreds of thousands of euros passed through the account of the company.

The businessman was forced to declare his Bulgarian partners to the Prosecutor's Office, as well as to seek help from the Russian Embassy in Sofia and the Consulate in Varna, as he and his family began to receive threats.

Witnesses testify that the financial position of Bulgarian partner Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov, as well as his father, the priest Dobri Chakov Ivanov, starting from 2014 has improved significantly - a number of new luxurious cars appeared in the family, a private church was built on the land belonging to the father’s villa.

According to Andrey Varganov, there are signs of collusion in this case, as it was father Dobri who persuaded him to start a joint business with his son in Bulgaria, and later gave fake information about the firm's activities. Further Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov tried to prevent his Russian partner from turning to investigative authorities, citing the fact that one of his close relatives works in the Prosecutor’s Office in Silistra.

The materials in this case have been transferred to the Commission for the removal of illegally acquired property, which in Bulgaria is connected to the investigation only in particularly serious cases - when the corruption component is traced in the case. This Commission checks the compliance of incomes and expenditures of citizens for the last 10 years. In case of their inconsistency, confiscation of property occurs.

"We are satisfied with the results of the investigation," Konstantin Karanikolov, a lawyer of Andrey Varganov, told RAPSI. “The Prosecutor's Office of Silistra did a serious job. It is very difficult to investigate such economic crimes. Most often, the investigative authorities follow a simpler way, qualifying such cases as civil. In this case, the Prosecutor clearly saw all the signs of a criminal offense. "

In accordance with the Criminal Code of the Republic of Bulgaria, the maximum penalty for the article on appropriation is up to 8 years of imprisonment. In the case of aggravating circumstances, including collusion, the punishment may be up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Up to now there are no comments from the representatives of Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov at the RAPSI’s disposal.