International investigation has uncovered financial transactions linked to antiquities leading to former gambling businessman Vasil Bozhkov

American, European, and Bulgarian authorities are investigating financial transactions linked to antiquities, which lead to Bulgarian businessman Vasil Bozhkov, BNT News learned. A meeting is planned to take place by the end of the month in a country outside the European Union, where the ownership of Bozhkov’s antique collection, seized by the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office in early 2020, will be discussed. This seizure occurred when investigations against Bozhkov began, and he temporarily relocated to Dubai.

Foreign authorities have detected three transactions totaling 5 million dollars made between December 29-31, 2020. The money was transferred from a fund linked to the 50-year-old billionaire and financial broker Andrew Budzhinski, an Australian national known for his connections with Russian oligarchs, who resides in the United Arab Emirates. The recipient of the funds was listed as Vasil Bozhkov. As a result, authorities have started investigating the connections between Budzhinski and Bozhkov in the field of antiquities trade, including the conduct of sham auctions aimed at money laundering. It is believed that antique items from Bozhkov’s collection are currently located in the United States. Bozhkov claims that his collection of antiques was illegally seized and has been held by the Prosecutor's Office for five years. The businessman is trying to get his antiques back by appealing the confiscation in court.

In 2021, Vasil Bozhkov was included in the U.S. sanctions list under the global Magnitsky Act. In Bulgaria, he faces criminal charges—one for failing to pay fees related to gambling and another related to ordering murders and other crimes.

The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office has neither confirmed nor denied that they will participate in a meeting with US and European authorities in the coming days related to the businessman.