Claims made by Bulgarian citizens under investigation for espionage in the United Kingdom about their connections with the "highest echelons" of power in Bulgaria, which they themselves boasted about in their communications, are unfounded and as absurd as the manipulative misuse of these claims. This is stated in a message from the press office of the Head of State, sent to the media on January 31.
The press office further clarifies that the statement is in response to questions regarding an article in The Independent, which highlighted an exchange of remarks between the prosecution and the accused in the espionage case.
It is also worth reminding that the competent Bulgarian security services, which work in close cooperation with their British counterparts on the case, only a month ago announced in response to inquiries from the media and a Member of Parliament that they do not have any information confirming alleged links of those investigated for espionage in the UK with Bulgarian politicians, the message from the President's press office further states.
BNT recalls that the Bulgarian citizens Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev have been accused of belonging to a complex espionage network led by a Russian agent under the name Yan Marsalek, which planned six operations from the UK.
Together with Orlin Rusev and Biser Dzhambazov, who have admitted their involvement in the conspiracy, Ivanova, Gaberova, and Ivanchev are accused of surveilling journalists and planning a sham protest in front of the Kazakhstan embassy in London.
Ivanova, Gaberova, and Ivanchev are accused of acting on the instructions of Rusev, who in turn received orders from Marsalek – an Austrian citizen who used the false name Rupert Titz and worked as the chief operations officer at the bankrupt electronic payments company "Wirecard."
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