Head of State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad remains in custody

The Specialised Criminal Court on 1^st of November ruled to remand the Chair of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Petar Haralampiev; the Secretary General, Krassimir Tomov, and the Serbian national, Marco Stoyov. The three were accused of taking part in an organised crime group for bribery and trading in influence. Haralmpiev was accused of being the leader of the group.

The defence of the accused has highlighted that no money from bribes has been found in the course of the investigation, and that the Prosecutor's Office proves the corruption for certificates of Bulgarian origin only with testimony of witnesses.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the money from the bribes were invested in a virtual currency in order to be hidden. The court accepted that the evidence at this stage was sufficient, and that the three could commit another offense if they were not in custody. The defendants will appeal today's court decision.