Allegations that the Prosecutor of Sofia, Emilia Rusinova, Travelled in the Same Car as Former Investigator Turned Fugitive Petyo Petrov -"the Euro"

New allegations have emerged regarding links between the Prosecutor of Sofia City, Emilia Rusinova, and now-missing Petyo Petrov (Pepi the Euro), described as a lobbyist within the judicial system.

The caretaker Minister of the Interior, Emil Dechev, on march 30 said that, according to Ministry of the Interior data, Rusinova and Petrov crossed Bulgaria’s border with North Macedonia together in 2021 via the Zlatarëvo checkpoint, travelling in the same vehicle. At this stage, Rusinova has not commented on the allegations made by Dechev.

Dechev further said that, following the publication by the NGO "Anti-Corruption Fund " in 2020, of its investigation “The Eight Dwarfs”, in which Petyo Petrov features prominently, Ministry of the Interior data indicate that Rusinova has crossed Bulgaria’s borders with neighbouring countries on multiple occasions.

Emil Dechev: “Using two vehicles. With individuals who, in those same vehicles, travelled with Mr Petyo Petrov. These same two vehicles were used both by Mr Petyo Petrov and by Ms Rusinova.”

Dechev also stated that a journey had been identified in which Petyo Petrov and Emilia Rusinova travelled together, which took place in 2021.

Emil Dechev: “More than a year after the Anti-Corruption Fund revealed the ‘Eight Dwarfs’ case, Ms Rusinova crossed Bulgaria’s border with North Macedonia at Zlatarëvo in the same car as Mr Petyo Petrov.”

Last week, the caretaker Minister of Interior stated that the Sofia city Prosecutor had taken over an investigation from the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, following a report submitted by the suspended European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva. In that report, Georgieva claims that she was threatened and provides further details, alleging that she was taken to the office of Petyo Petrov in the former “Eight Dwarfs” restaurant by Emilia Rusinova.

Emil Dechev said: “The silence of Prosecutor Emilia Rusinova is deafening. It is unacceptable, both for Bulgarian taxpayers, who provide her with an official monthly salary of more than €5,000, and for the country’s institutions. Such behaviour is intolerable.”

Petyo Petrov, former investigatior, was charged in the summer of 2023 and fled during an attempted arrest. He has been at large ever since and is being tried in absentia.

The BNT News programme team sought comment from the Prosecutor of Sofia, Emilia Rusinova. She did not respond to phone calls or to the messages sent.

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Last week, caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev said that the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior could neither confirm nor deny reports that Petrov had been detained in Belgrade. Dechev said that Bulgarian authorities had contacted their counterparts in Belgrade to verify the information.

Former investigator Petyo Petrov "The Euro" has not been detained in Serbia, acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Georgi Kandev said during a news briefing on March 25. “Our counterparts in Serbia have not provided any information indicating that Petrov has been in the country,” he added.