MOI documents: Ruja Ignatova was killed on Taki’s orders. The head of the Police “Killings” department worked for him.

On March 25, 2022 in Sofia, the former head of the Criminal Police in the Second Police Precinct, Lyubomir Ivanov, was shot dead with three bullets. Documents were seized from the cash register in his home, which acquired the status of material evidence (VDS) in the murder case led by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office. Among them are several references to agent reports. One report alleges that crypto queen Ruja Ignatova was killed in November 2018 on behalf of Christoforos Amanatidis – Taki, and another discusses Taki’s ties to the head of the General Directorate National Police /GDNP/’s Homicide Department, Mikhail Naumov, who hung an umbrella over him and his group. The Prosecutor’s Office knows about these documents, but does not consider them documents within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure Code and so far does not investigate either the data on the murder of Ruzha Ignatova or the evidence of corruption of Mihail Naumov, it became clear from the response of the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office Hristo Krastev.

BIRD was able to confirm the number of the case to which the references are attached – 8467/2022 on the inventory of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office with supervising prosecutor Ilian Bankov. It gained popularity in the media space with the investigation of road accidents and fatal accidents. In the GDNP, the same references are found in a police case (pre-trial proceedings) 0068/25.03.2022). According to data from our sources, these references are also attached to several disciplinary cases of the Inspectorate Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. It is noteworthy that the pre-trial proceedings are conducted by an investigating policeman in the GDNP, not by an investigator, which leads to the belief that no employees of the Ministry of Interior are subject to investigation. The existence of the reports is a well-known fact for almost all employees of the management of the Ministry of Interior since their discovery in the cash register of the executed former policeman.

In this publication we look at two of these references: about the trip of the Head of the Homicide Department at the GDNP Mihail Naumov to Cuba and about Ruja Ignatova.

An informant with the initials “AI” reported that Naumov traveled to Havana for the New Year holidays 2019-20 with a colleague and both were accompanied by their husbands. The police were staying at a five-star hotel in the resort of Varadero, about 100 km away. from Havana. On the spot, they rented a fishing yacht for a few days, went out fishing and celebrated the New Year in the company of three other Bulgarians and an Italian citizen. They flew to Bulgaria on 06.01.2020, stocking up on a large amount of Cuban cigars for trade in the country.

The expensive holiday, which does not correspond to the income of the policemen, was paid by Ivan Petleshkov – close to Christoforos Amanatidis – Taki. Through Petleshkov, Mihail Naumov handed over to Taki information from the SSD and stretched an umbrella over the investigations into murders related to the crime boss. The persons with whom the police chiefs went fishing during the excursion also worked for Taki. At least that’s what the author of the report says.

The second reference is short – only one page and again is an agent report from the informant “AI”. It is about Ivan Tanev – the Universal, who was close to Taki, and Taki managed to obtain through Peevski to remove him from search.

The more important information is about how the bajanac of Amanatidis – Georgi Georgiev VasilevHe said Taki ordered the murder of crypto queen Ruja Ignatova, which took place in November 2018 on a yacht in the Ionian Sea, more than a year after Ruza was last seen in Athens.

What kind of references are these and what follows from them?

The references are dated from 08.01.2020 and are written in a characteristic police style with numerous spelling and grammatical errors. In addition to the text, there are also photos from passports of the reported persons. Most of the events described in the reports, such as trips to Cuba, staying in an expensive hotel and renting a fishing yacht, are easily verifiable.

A BIRD reporter spoke to a source who was familiar with the preparation of these reports. They are not officially assigned within the framework of operational development of the services. According to him, the information was collected on the private initiative of former employees in the services who used their own agent sources. The information was sent to several law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Embassy.

However, it would be appropriate for the information to be checked by the services, especially since the reports become the VDS. It is logical that the presence of information with such sensitive content in the cash register of the murdered former policeman could be a motive for the crime. From the content of the documents found in the cash register of the murdered, it can be assumed that he was collecting information about the employees of the Serious Crimes Department of the GDNP. Particularly disturbing is the fact that now this department and the employees of the DNSP are entrusted with the work of solving the murder. At least there is a conflict of interest.

Beyond doubt is the great public interest in the fate of Ruja Ignatova – the most wanted woman in the world, for whom the FBI even announced a reward of $ 100,000. Therefore, any information about her alleged murder, although collected indirectly, deserves the most detailed verification. Moreover, there are already numerous judicial and media revelations about the links between Ruja Ignatova and Christoforos Amanatidis – Taki.

This also applies to the denser information about the connections of a high-ranking police chief with persons from the criminal contingent, the receipt by them of unlawful benefits and crimes in service for the benefit of Taki’s group.

So far, however, there is no evidence of either a separate proceeding for the murder of Ignatova or one against Naumov.

What do you know about the persons in the reports?

Mihail Naumov has walked the path to head of the Crimes Against the Person Sector, more commonly known as Homicide, starting with a neighborhood inspector. Before the changes, he was among the graduates of the elite sports school “Olympic Hopes”. He is engaged in wrestling and has won world and European championships for policemen. He has serious successes as an employee of the “Murders” and “Robberies” sectors in the Sofia Directorate of Interior. After the arrival of GERB, Naumov became head of the “Crimes against the Person” department in the CDNP. Under Borisov’s first government, he actively participated in the disclosure and condemnation of the “Impudent” and “The Killers”. At that time, there was professional friction with the head of “Terror” in the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP), Valentin Tsonovski. This is no exception to the tendency since the time of CSFOC anti-mafia to “fight” with the police. In 2012, there is evidence that an attack against Naumov was being prepared. Then the well-known Lyubomir Iliev – Lubo Kall was detained on charges of preparing the murders of prosecutor Oleg Yanev, the chairman of Meshereto Hristo Varbanov – the Pope and the head of the Homicide Department at the GDNP Mihail Naumov. The evidence in the case is not enough to bring the prosecution to trial. All instances acquitted the defendants.

With the beginning of the work on the “cold files” – the murders of the Transition, very to put it mildly “controversial” moments in the professional activity of the “Crimes against the Person” sector in the CDNP begin. There is no shortage of “fresh” cases.

One of the most scandalous cases on which the sector is working is the “murder”

of Peevski.” The case has become a fiasco for the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office. Many of the cases of the sector are based on the testimony of witnesses such as Ventsislav Damyanov –
Ventsi The Boxer
and Ivaylo
Serafimov
. Practice shows that such witnesses would say everything that the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office would like to be said. Very often their testimony is contradicted by the facts available in the cases. In a more thorough analysis, we will notice that the charges in the cases conducted by this team are based on the testimony of 5-6 repeating compromised witnesses. Naumov’s sector has traditionally failed in solving murders, such as that of Tatyana Stoyanova – the late secretary of the mayor of Pazardzhik Todor Popov. Sources close to the investigation say that due to negligence or any other reason, no evidence was collected that could lead to the discovery of the crime. A very specific point is that in this case there are quite reasonable suspicions of a connection between Todor Popov, close to Delyan Peevski, and the crime committed. In recent years, there have also been concerns that the Crimes against the Person sector interferes in the distribution of the drug market through the developments it leads against the participants in this “business”.

Stoycho Kubatov is one of Naumov’s trusted people. Evidence of this is his presence together with Naumov at a diploma award by the former Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov. Kubatov also acts as an expert in security forums. He is also a competitor in sambo and wrestling. Before falling into Naumov’s sector, he stood out mainly for sporting achievements in the Ministry of Interior.

Vasko Stanimirov is from Kyustendil and has participation in several companies whose property is under distraint by the NRA and BACB. In 2002 he sold his company “V & M” Ltd. to Miroslav Stanimirov, one of the founders of SIC.

Ivo Krastev Ivanov He seems to be a wrestler and participates in the management of a wrestling club in Zverino. There are no participation in companies.

Massimo Isopi has
a business in Bulgaria
together with other Italian citizens and seems to be based in Kyustendil. He is not known to the prosecutor’s office in Italy, according to our Italian colleagues, whom we consulted.

Ivan Petleshkov became known because of the blackmail case against Ahmed Dogan and Delyan Peevski by one Bulgarian and two Romanian citizens. In it, Petleshkov is a secret witness of the prosecution under number 426.

Petleshkov appeared before the court on the measure of detention of Delian Georgiev and Romanian Dorin Iordache. There, he says that the defendants showed him a report of an unnamed service for cigarette smuggling and terrorist financing, which included the names of the two blackmailed – Dogan and Peevski. He was asked to convey that, for an amount of EUR 12 million, their names could be deleted.

The thesis of the indictment was developed by prosecutor Evgenia Stankova, who became famous for the “terrorist sprinklers” in front of parliament in the case “NAPLeks”. Initially, she charged terrorist financing under Article 108 of the Penal Code. Then it is obviously felt that this is a blunder, and “financing terrorism” refers rather to the repeatedly mentioned in the documents in the case Ahmed Dogan and Delyan Peevski. The prosecutor’s office also claims that it had flash drives with the report, but they were not attached to the case. After several months in custody and an agreement with the prosecutor’s office, the two detainees were released.

The company “Traffic SOT”, which is related to Petleshkov, has a security contract with the Sopot Machine Building Plants – one of the largest arms enterprises in the Balkans. Petleshkov also has a pawnshop as well as a restaurant business.

According to BIRD’s operational information, what is presented in the report is very close to the actual state of affairs. Petleshkov is a trusted person of both Taki and Peevski. He has been entrusted with an important role in shopping for a vote in the upcoming elections in April.

Christoforos Amanatidis – Taki Considered in the past one of the great Bulgarian drug lords, wanted after his group was detained, but he managed to escape. He lives in Dubai. A few years later, Interpol’s search was dropped. Lawyer close to him Rashev claims that there are no travel restrictions against Taki. Amanatidis is under investigation in a case of money laundering and terrorist financing in the Seychelles, together with Konstantin Varbanov the brother of the former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Rositsa Kirova from GERB.

Krasimir Kamenov – Curo as a successor to the structure of VIS 2 is considered a partner of Taki in the past, but according to sources from the underground their relations have cooled in recent years.

Keope Chakarian – Ami became famous as the owner of the “golden” laboratory and the “golden” parking lots of Kapitan Andreevo, key lucrative points associated with Taki’s interests.

Ivan Tanev – The Universal was charged in the case of VAT draining “The Universals” together with Mila Georgieva. This case seems to have crashed before it is brought to trial. In Romania, he and Georgieva are being sued for the theft of 26 million euros in European aid for the poor. He is believed to live in Dubai.

Georgi Georgiev Vasilev In addition to being a co-owner of the large construction company GP Group, he is married to the model Ana Shehtova, whose sister Boryana Shehtova is the wife of Christopher Amanatidis – Taki. They all live in the UAE. After the “GP Gate” scandal, pre-trial proceedings were launched against Vassilev and a multimillion-dollar sum was blocked, which he tried to transfer to Dubai. The outcome of this production is not clear.

Ruja Ignatova She is wanted by the FBI for the OneCoin scam, a cryptopyramid that has dragged customers around the world with more than $5 billion. She was last seen at Athens Airport, where she landed on a flight from Sofia on October 25, 2017 and was greeted by Russian-speaking people. At that time, she was already facing a fraud case by the prosecutor’s office in Bielefeld, Germany, and the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office knew about it. There is evidence that she was warned of an upcoming arrest warrant by a Bulgarian police officer who attended a meeting at Europol.

After the disappearance of Ignatova, part of her real estate passed into companies related to Boryana Shehtova and financier Emil Harsev. But joint asset management by Ruja’s mother Veska Ignatova and Boryana Shehtova existed before Ignatova’s disappearance, according to inquiries in the Commercial Register. There is evidence that Taki’s phone was found in the phone book of Ruja Ignatova’s brother, who was detained in the United States. In court documents in the United States, Taki’s name does not appear, but mentions a person who was the head of security of Ruja Ignatova and at the same time a powerful drug trafficker.

What do the institutions say?

We contacted the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev for comment with the following facts and questions:

“Case 0068/25.03.2022 on the CDNP inventory contains the VDS with information about the murder of the wanted by the FBI Ruja Ignatova. According to the Air Force, an agent report, she was killed on a yacht in the Ionian Sea on behalf of Christoforos Nikos Amanatidis – Taki.

The same materials claim that the head of the Homicide Department in the GDNP, Mihail Naumov, has unregulated contacts with the person Ivan Petleshkov, who is related to Taki.

Questions:

Was a separate investigation into Ignatova’s murder initiated after analyzing this data, and if it was initiated, when did it happen? Has the prosecutor’s office been approached?

Is there an investigation into the unauthorized contacts of Mihail Naumov with Ivan Petleshkov and other persons related to Taki?”

Until the editorial end of the article, we received no response from the Minister.

BIRD also contacted former Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, as it was during his time a year ago that the inquiries acquired the status of the UDF in the murder case of Lyubomir Ivanov. Rashkov also removed Mikhail Naumov from his post.

On the phone, Boyko Rashkov did not want to comment on whether he was aware of these reports, but stressed that Mihail Naumov had many suspicious contacts with convicted persons and was removed from office quite naturally. Rashkov also commented that after he left the ministry, many controversial appointments took place there.

Several times we tried to contact by phone the prosecutor Ilian Bankov, who is monitoring the case 8467/2022. The reception of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office promised to give him about the call and the request for feedback, but it did not follow. Unanswered were the questions sent by e-mail to the press office of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

Updated: Prosecutors confirm inquiries were not evidence

After the publication by e-mail, there was a response to the questions asked to the Prosecutor’s Office, which reads as follows:

“In connection with your letter asking questions in pre-trial proceedings under p. Ip. 8467/2022, according to the inventory of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, we provide you with the following information.

In the course of the investigation in that file, A4 sheets of paper were included in the case, on which there is a printed text. They do not constitute a document, insofar as there is no data about their author, do not bear a signature and do not represent a specific written statement of will of a specific natural person. In this regard, they are not subject to verification by the means of proof provided for in the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), namely the appointment of a graphic expertise, whose conclusion will establish by whom the text is written and by whom the signature is laid. Also, the cited sheets of paper were seized from a place used by a person who had died and the circumstances set out in them could not be verified by the examination of a witness. For these reasons, the supervising prosecutor has come to the conclusion that the prerequisites of Art. 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code for the division of the case, as at present no evidence has been collected for a possible murder – a crime under art. 115 of the Penal Code and/or a possible crime committed in office.

Investigation is a dynamic process. In this pre-trial proceedings, new investigative actions are to be carried out. The procedural action will be carried out to divide the case if evidence of possible other crimes is collected.

Sincerely,

Hristo Krastev Deputy City Prosecutor of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office

File 8467/2022 according to the inventory of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, of which the Prosecutor’s Office has officially confirmed, is hidden. A public register search of the files gives no results on the existence of such a file. This is observed in files of particular importance, which are classified without explanations and the movement on them is not visible to the public.

Transcription of references. The original spelling is preserved:

REPORT

On 27.12.2019, during a meeting with an informant, the following operational information concerning unauthorized contact between employees of the Ministry of Interior and persons from the critical contingent was received.

During the conversation, the source of information said that from a close friend he found out that the head of the Homicide Department at the GDNP – Mihail Naumov, accompanied by his employee Stoycho Kubatov, had left on a trip to the Republic of Cuba.

Naumov told his colleagues in the department that he was going to see his son, who is camping in Cuba, but did not say that he would be accompanied by Kubatov.

According to unconfirmed information, his son is a conditioning coach of a Russian volleyball team. Naumov and Kubatov left shortly before the Christmas holidays, in all likelihood, with a flight through Frankfurt. Their wives also travel with them.

On December 30, 2019, AI submitted additional information about the persons accompanying Mihail Naumov during his visit to Cuba.

On 29.12.2019 in the area of Marina “Hemingway” – Havana, Mihail Naumov was detected in the company of Stoycho Kubatov, Ivo Krastev Ivanov, Vasko Todorov Stanimirov, Italian citizen Massimo Isopi and previously unknown Bulgarian citizen named Lucien living in the US (Lucien is about 50-55 years old, thin, tall with gray hair).

Ґrupa has rented a fishing yacht for the days of December 30, December 31 and January 2.

According to AI, the yacht is owned by a Bulgarian citizen who has been residing in the Republic of Cuba for several years.

The source said Naumov’s group was also staying at a five-star hotel in the Varadero resort, about 100 km (60 miles) from Havana.

The expenses for the group’s excursion (airline tickets and hotels) were paid by the person Ivan Petleshkov (former employee of the Ministry of Interior and close to the criminal boss – Christoforos Nikos Amanatidis “Taki”. Currently, Petleshkov is the owner of the security company “Traffic Security”.

On December 30, 2019, Mihail Naumov, Stoycho Kubatov, Massimo Isopi, Ivo Ivanov and Vasko Stanimirov enter the ocean. During the cruise, Vasko Stanimirov held a conversation with the captain of the yacht about property prices in Havana, as well as possible government bans on purchases by foreigners.

AI says that upon the group’s arrival at Jose Martí Airport, Mihail Naumov handed over a certain amount in euros to the bülgarin. The money was given to him by Ivan Petleshkov, who owed it on a deal (a group of dancers from Cuba were sent to him for his restaurant).

On 31.12.2019 only Vasko Stanimirov and Ivo Ivanov go into the ocean. Mihail Naumov with his wife, Stoycho Kubatov and Lucien have visited Havana.

On 31.12.2019 against 01.01.2020 the group welcomes the New Year and the name day of Vasko Stanimirov at Marina “Hemingway”

The menu is caught by them fish.

On January 2, Vasko Stanimirov, Ivo Ivanov and Massimo Isopi go out into the ocean again. During the conversation, AI said that his friend told him that the Italian citizen works for Stanimirov, and that the whole group is part of the criminal structure of Christoforos Nikos Amanatides.

On 03.01.2019 Naumov’s group has purchased a huge amount of cigars for trade in Bulgaria. At Sofia Airport they will be welcomed by trusted employees at the border checkpoint and Customs.

REMARK:

During the time Mihail Naumov headed the Homicide Department at the CDNP, there was not a single contract murder solved. The subject of investigation became mainly opponents of “Taki”. Everything that comes as operational information from agents and from the operation of SSDs is transmitted to Amanatidis through Ivan Petleshkov. Naumov’s inner circle includes the employees of the Ministry of Interior – Stoycho Kubatov, Svetoslav Stoykov (Deputy Head of the 8th Precinct). Valentin Simeonov (Head of the 8th Precinct) as well as the former employees of the GDNP – Alexi Vasilev and Natalia Angelova. Through Ivan Petleshkov, the group is in good contact with the former Chief Secretaries of the Ministry of Interior Svetlozar Lazarov and Georgi Kostov. Through them, he maintains contact with Minister Mladen Marinov. At the moment, by order of Amanatides, Mihail Naumov exploited SSDs on the faces

Krasimir Kamenov “Karo” and Razmig Kerope Chakarian “Well”. The two were placed on Discreet control, and their names were submitted at the border checkpoint by GDNP – Mihail Naumov. Incoming information from border control

and the cameras of the Road Infrastructure Agency are reported daily to Amanatides. Basis for discreet control – threat of murder.

Ivan Vasilev Petleshkov

PIN XXXXXX, Family, unconvicted

/Photos of Petleshkov/

Two years ago, Petleshkov bought a small apartment in Havana. In this apartment lives his mistress Cuban (name and address have not yet been established).

Companies with the participation of Ivan Petleshkov

/Here are a few pages with detailed references from different reference systems for the companies of Petleshkov and Stanimirov /editor’s note/

Upon careful review of Petleshkov’s partnerships, it is noteworthy that he is in good business and friendly contact with the famous Marin Todorov Kostov – “Marin Donkey”. The connection between Petleshkov and Naumov is a fact. This explains the disappearance of an operational development from the cash register of Naumov against Kostov and the brothers Plamen and Yordan Stoyanovi – “Dambovi” a few years ago. During the official inspection, Naumov was not investigated or punished.

On 06.01.2019 Naumov’s group took off from Havana to Bulgaria.

Sofia

Jan 8, 2020

REPORT

RELATO: Operational information acquired

On 06.01.2020, during a meeting with AI, the following operational information concerning persons from the criminal contingent was received.

The source of information says that during a conversation with an acquaintance from the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP), he learned that Ivan Tanev, “Universal”, who was reported wanted by INTERPOL, was quietly removed from search.

AI suggests that the close contact between Christoforos Nikos Amanatidis (Tanev works for Taki) and Delyan Peevski has influenced the course of the investigation. In all likelihood, the Prosecutor’s Office could not gather sufficient evidence of Tanev’s participation in a group for illegal VAT absorption and the procedural actions against him were terminated.

In continuation of the conversation, “AI” says that days before the holidays, one of the owners of “GP Group” AD – Georgi Vasilev Vasilev, PIN XXXXXXXXX (in a clearly intoxicated state) told people from his entourage that the wanted Ruzha Ignatova has been dead since November 2018. Vassilev claimed that his brother-in-law (Taki) had taken measures to make Ignatova disappear. According to the information, Amanatidis ordered the murder of Ruja Ignatova in order to erase her traces of participation in her fraudulent scheme with Onecoin. Ignatova was killed in Greece, and her corpse cut into pieces was dumped into the Ionian Sea.

Shortly before he left, Vassilev said that Taki’s main “killer” was currently in a Dutch prison. In all likelihood, it is about the person Hristo Hristov nicknamed “Koeravi”. Some time ago, Hristov was detained by the Dutch services with a huge amount of heroin.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior remains silent on the case.

The above for information and order! Sofia

08 January 2020

***

За да научавате преди всички за нови разследвания, инсталирайте си нашето мобилно приложение:

Щом сте стигнали дотук, вероятно вече си задавате въпроса как се финансира този журналистически проект.

От създаването си BIRD се финансираше от подаяния в нашето журналистическо чекмедже.
Но на чекмеджето му мина времето. Даже прокуратурата затвори онова Чекмедже, знаете кое…
Нашето финансиране влиза в крак с епохата. Фондонабиращата ни кампания вече се казва

#МятайСБЪРД

Дарявай за BIRD и мятай павета в блатото с корумпирани политици и други тарикати.
Те тайно премятат пари от твоя джоб в своя. Те размятат безнаказано лукса си пред очите на всички. Няма кой да ги накаже ако се надяваш на държавата.
Мятай, за да ги накажеш ти. Да дариш за разследващите журналисти е гаранция, че гадостите, с които силните на деня те замерят, ще им се върнат.
Можеш да метнеш веднъж, за да ти олекне!
Но по-добре е да мяташ редовно всеки месец и да се чувстваш трайно удовлетворен.
А най-добре е да доведеш приятели и да мятаме редовно заедно в екип. С мощен залп!
*За кръстник на новата ни фондонабираща кампания избрахме другарката Ваня. Благодарим й за вдъхновението!