6 arrested in an investigation against loan-sharks

arrested investigation against loan sharks

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от БНТ

17:51, 09.09.2020

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor's Office and the police carried out an operation in the Roma neighbourhood in the South Bulgarian city of Kyustendil on September 9, targeting two competing Roma families - the Golovtsi and the Ropotamci, they being investigated for involvement in an organized criminal group.

More than 6 people from the two families were arrested during the joint operation of the Specialised Prosecutor's Office and the police in Kyustendil early this morning. According to Chief Prosecutor, Ivan Geshev, there is evidence of complicity in the activities of an organized criminal group for loan-sharking and racketeering on the territory of Kyustendil and the region.

According to the prosecution, the two families from Kyustendil's Iztok district competed in the loan sharking market. But instead of offering better terms for their loans, the two families literally were at war with each other fighting for every borrower, lending at extremely high interest rates, and then harassed both physically and mentally the people who borrowed money from them if they were late with the payment of any of the installments.

Both families demonstrate an extremely luxurious lifestyle. They own expensive properties and cars, without any of the members of these families having even one day of work experience. They did not pay any taxes, the Chief Prosecutor said.

Ivan Geshev, Chief Prosecutor: "There is nothing wrong with being a rich person, but you have to pay your taxes, which in turn are used for building streets, paying salaries to teachers, healthcare workers etc.. Look at what houses they live in, look at what cars they drive, you will probably see it from the announcements of the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office. A standard that the majority of Bulgarian citizens cannot afford. The question is what taxes they paid, what they work, what they gave to the Bulgarian state as taxes. If you get in a car that costs 1 million in Germany, for example, it means that automatically the next day you will be visited by all tax authorities, as well as by all possible control services in the country ".

Two or three more people are wanted, who are believed to be part of this criminal group.

Searches were carried out at 14 addresses, physical evidence is seized, witnesses are questioned, incl. victims of the criminal activity.

The evidence gathered shows that the participants provided loans at high interest rates to persons who were subject to mental harassment and beatings for delayed payment of loan instalments.

The investigation is ongoing. After gathering and analysing the evidence, the supervising prosecutor will decide which of the persons should be detained for up to 72 hours and which of them should be prosecuted.

At the same time early this morning, officers of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime launched an operation against organized crime in Kyustendil.