Witnesses have been questioned and banking secrecy has been lifted on 44 bank accounts in connection with the activities of the NGO “National Agency for Control of Protected Areas”. Authorities are now awaiting information on the movement of funds in those accounts.
The update was given at a briefing at the Palace of Justice by Deputy Appellate Prosecutor Nataliya Nikolova of the Sofia Appellate Prosecutor’s Office on March 11.
The 'Petrohan' Tragedy: Investigators Point to Three Suicides at the Lodge, and a Double Murder Followed by Suicide near Okolchitsa
According to Nikolova, investigators are awaiting the results of checks and financial audits involving five individuals and seven legal entities. Donations had been made both to the organisation and to its members, including by public officials.
“Over the past three to four years, according to witness testimony, donations amounting to nearly 300,000 leva have been made, as well as a drone. The largest donation, again according to witness statements, was 251,000 leva, transferred to the personal account of Ivaylo Ivanov,” Nikolova said.
Two pre-trial proceedings concerning the deaths of six men found at the Petrohan lodge and below Okolchitsa Peak have now been merged into a single case.
Police and Prosecutors Release More Details in the 'Petrohan' Case Involving Deaths of Six People in Suspected Murder-Suicides
Initially, separate investigations were launched under the supervision of the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office and the Vratsa District Prosecutor’s Office, running in parallel. However, prosecutors concluded that combining them would allow a fuller clarification of what officials described as an unprecedented case.
The unified investigation is now being led by the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office into the deaths of the six men. Nikolova noted that the group’s main activities were carried out in Petrohan lodge, where they also lived.
Four forensic examinations of electronic devices — including phones, laptops and other equipment — have been ordered, with the analysis being carried out with assistance from partner services.
According to the evidence gathered so far, there are no indications of the presence of external individuals at either of the crime scenes.
Forensic medical examinations have determined that the three men found in a camper below Okolchitsa Peak all died from gunshot wounds to the head.
“The results of the forensic examinations and the evidence gathered so far do not change the conclusion that there was no outside presence or involvement of third parties at either of the crime scenes. Regarding the three individuals in the camper, the forensic medical examinations have been completed and show that the cause of death for all three men near Okolchitsa Peak was a gunshot wound to the head.”
The 15-year-old boy was shot at point-blank range.
Nikolay Zlatkov was also killed by a shot fired at point-blank range.
Ivaylo Kalushev died from a shot fired from close range, with the entry wound in the oral cavity.
The findings support the conclusion that Kalushev shot the other two before taking his own life.
The initial forensic examination indicated an approximate date of death.
"The reason the bodies of the three individuals found in the camper below Okolchitsa Peak were returned at a later stage is that a three-member forensic medical examination was commissioned to clarify the exact time of death.”
Probe into “Cosmos” School
Separately, on 5 March, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office received a report and complaint following an inspection of the private school “Cosmos”, where the 15-year-old had studied.
The inspection had been ordered by the Ministry of Education and Science on 9 February.
According to the report, the commission identified several violations, including a lack of oversight by the Regional Department of Education – Sofia Region over the overall organisation of the educational process at the school, as well as insufficient supervision by the school’s director. There were also procedural omissions and improperly prepared documents. The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has already initiated action, assigning the General Directorate National Police to conduct a check.
The 'Petrohan' Case: Outgoing Minister of Education Says that Private School Attended by Murdered 15-Year-Old Systematically Concealed the Student's Absences
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Three men were found dead in a privately owned lodge near the Petrohan Pass (Northwestern Bulgaria) on February 2. All three had gunshot wounds to the head. The bodies of three more men, (including a 15-year-old boy), who had also occupied the property, were found on Sunday, February 8, in a camper van in the area of Okolchitsa Peak, Western Balkan Range. Their death, too, had been caused by shotgun wounds.
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