Investigation into misuse of funds for the construction of Hemus Motorway is at final stage

The investigation into the advance payments for the construction of the Hemus motorway is at its final stage. Today, October 27, the corrected charges were presented. The Prosecutor’s office has set mid-December dates for the defendants and the defence to review the evidence in the pre-trial proceedings.

A total of nine people have been charged. The first defendant, Boris Kolev, was summoned to the Chief Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime (CDCOC) early this morning. His charge has been corrected and remains for money laundering in the amount of 53 million BGN. Facts and circumstances have been added today about the way this crime was committed.

"Adding facts and circumstances that were not initially known or were not clear. The accusation is the same", confirmed Hristo Botev, lawyer of Boris Kolev.

The explanations that Kolev has given in his capacity as a suspect are the basis for unraveling the scheme and gathering evidence about the other suspects. One of them is Georgi Georgiev from the town of Lom. He was charged with money laundering this afternoon. He is the owner of one of the companies through which the money passed before it was withdrawn. According to Kolev, it was Georgiev who waited for him in a four-wheel drive outside the bank branches from which the withdrawals were made. Kolev claims that the money was handed over to Georgiev. Georgiev is also linked to the 2017 Agromah investigation for tax crimes. Then, the specialised prosecutor's office arrested a total of six people for the siphoning off of 14 million BGN in VAT.

Eight more people indicted in Hemus motorway construction investigation

Two of the other suspects are Hristo Savev, the current owner of “Agromah” - last year he filed a case against former Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov, and Viktor Velev of “Groma Hold”. At this stage, neither the investigators from CDCOC nor the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office are giving details about the investigation. However, BNT learned from lawyers of the accused that there are already dates for familiarisation with the pre-trial proceedings, which are set for December. This is the last phase before an indictment is drawn up and submitted to court, that is to say, the investigation is essentially over.