Court ordered house arrest for the anti-mafia officer alleged to have spied for Russia

Sofia City Court on February 8 ordered a house arrest measure for Georgi Karakolev, the employee of Bulgaria’s Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime alleged to have spied for Russia

The Court’s motives were the serious health condition of his wife and the care for their three children. However, the investigation continues with the collection of evidence abroad. Numerous inspections have also been assigned to controlling bodies, including the inspectorates of the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security.

Police officer was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia

The journalists did not have the opportunity to hear the anti-mafia officer's explanations in person, as the sitting was held behind closed doors at the request of the prosecution., because of the secret information in most of the collected about 10 volumes of evidence. After the hearing, we learned that the defendant determined some evidence as aken out of context. Georgi Karakolev is currently the only accused, but he has not yet been suspended.

It has been established that he did not have access to some of the sensitive information and it is being investigated how exactly he obtained. A communication between him and a SANS officer has been detected and it is being clarified whether he provided him with secret data. The Prosecutor's office assured that other charges will be brought if enough evidence is gathered in this direction.

Georgi Karakolev entered the courtroom without hiding his face. He did not want to comment on the charges against him.

He, however, has given explanations to the judges.

"Mr. Karakolev was brief in his explanations, focusing mainly on his family status and his wife's health condition. He commented on some of the evidence, pointing out that some of it had been taken out of context. Certainly, at this stage, the evidence in the case indicates that he is the author of this crime, that is why he has been held criminally liable and we are currently carrying out a number of investigative actions. Investigations have been assigned abroad as well," said Angel Kanev, prosecutor.

Images by BTA

10 volumes are the evidence in the espionage case against the police officer from the Chief Directorate for Combatting Orgnaised Crime.

According to the court, there is no risk of him absconding, but he may commit another crime.

"The court held that there was a high degree of reasonable presumption that he had placed himself at the service of the Russian state and the Russian intelligence services and had passed sensitive and classified information to them. The court considered that house arrest with a control device, the so-called bracelets, would ensure the prevention of committing another crime at this stage," said Angel Kanev, prosecutor.

Numerous witnesses have been interviewed and the evidence to date does not indicate that the accused took money for leaking information to foreign services. Checks on the case are ongoing in the inspectorates of the Ministry of Interior, SANS and other agencies. A day after the anti-mafia officer's arrest, the head of the Ministry of Interior‘s Internal Security Department was suspended, but the ministry denied any connection to the investigation.

"The director of the Internal Security Directorate was not suspended in connection with the so-called ‘spy scandal’," Minister of Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, clarified.

The court's decision can be appealed.

MoI Chief Secretary: The police officer arrested on suspision of spying for Russia was monitored for several months

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The 57-year-old Georgi Karakolev, who has worked in the Ministry of Interior since 1993, was taken into custody on February 5.

The Prosecutor's office and SANS said he had provided sensitive information and documents to Russian intelligence services. The data concern not only Bulgarian institutions, but also partner foreign organisations.

The man had communicated with a SANS officer, but whether he had leaked information to him is yet to be established, including through a lie detector. It became clear that work on the case began in the middle of last year, as a probe by SANS.