Investigating authorities impound high-value cars from Vassil Bozhkov’s offices

Prosecutors, restorers, police officers and experts on January 3 entered Nove Holding's office to impound items from the collection of wanted gambling businessman Vassil Bozhkov, who was charged last week on seven counts, including extortion, coercion, malfeasance, tax crimes and money laundering.

High-value cars were impounded by the police from the garages of the company. For the time being, no valuable paintings had been removed from the building.According to BNT information, this may take months, because every object from the art collection should be transported in a specially made box and making such boxes takes a lot of time.

The Head of Thrace Foundation, Kiril Hristoskov, was also in the offices of the company. (Thrace foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Vassil Bozhkov in 2004. The main activity of the Foundation is its participation in projects related to the promotion of the world cultural and historical heritage and its conservation on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.)

Hristoskov commented for the media that he did not know when the art works from the collection will be taken away by the authorities.

A little later, the foundation issued an official statement saying that "to date, there is no document that legally justifies the seizure of objects from the collection. The objects in the collection are of cultural and historical value and should not be treated as ordinary "objects”. Each of them is declared and legalized by the state and has all the necessary documents," the statement says.

Several paintings have already been removed from Bozhkov's home and taken to the National Art Gallery for expert assessment.