BULGARIAN AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE BANKER TZVETAN VASSILEV AND HIS WIFE FOR ALLEGED MONEY-LAUNDERING

Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the majority shareholder of Corporate Commercial Bank, Tzvetan Vassilev, and his wife Antoaneta for suspected money laundering, sources of the state prosecution confirmed for BNT on 14th of October. The pre-court proceeding was initiated a week ago. The materials on it are separated from the main investigation against Vassilev, which was launched for alleged embezzlement of 206 million BGN from Corporate Commercial Bank.

For the time being, the prosecutor's office declined to give further details and did not comment whether the investigation was linked to the investigation launched by Liechtenstein authorities on alleged money laundering. They did not specify whether there were already charges pressed against the banker and his wife, for what amount of “laundered” money and through what crime the sum in question was derived.

On 16th of September, Vassilev surrendered to the authorities in Serbia and currently he is in Belgrade pending the outcome of an extradition application by Bulgaria.