MP Vesselin Mareshki Charged with Extortion

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s office pressed charges against the leader of Volya party, the MP Vesselin Mareshki for extortion, the Prosecutor’s Office said on 13 July. He is accused of threatening 7 pharmacy owners in Varna, Dobrich, Vidin, Pleven and Sofia from the autumn of 2012 to the end-2015 .

According to the prosecution, Mareshki wanted to force them to transfer shares of their pharmacies to companies owned and controlled by him or to stop their business activities. In some cases, his aim was to force the owners of the pharmacies to commit to buy medicines from his drug stores under unfavourable conditions.

Mareshki allegedly threatened the owners of the pharmacies that he would bring them to bankruptcy through administrative pressure and inspections by state officials close to him in the Bulgarian Drug Agency (BDA) and through unfair commercial practices.

According to the prosecution, he committed the crime together with the MPs from his party, Plamen Hristov and Krastina Taskova.

Speaking on BNT morning programme “the Day Begins”on 13 July, Mareshki said that the Prosecutor’s Office had no evidence to prove he was guilty.

“They have been investigating me for 5 years, interviewing hundreds of witnesses, and the Prosecutor's Office said there was no evidence that I was guilty, Mareshki said. On the basis of the same evidence, it appears that there are suspicions and they would again interview hundreds of witnesses, he added.

He also said he believed the government would fall from power if it did not start to fight against illegal trade.

Regarding the other charges, he said he had no problem with competitors, and they had with him.