Under the supervision of the Sofia Military Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, pre-trial proceedings are being conducted for crimes under Chapter I of the Criminal Code (Crimes against the Republic). It was instituted for crimes under Art. 109 of the Penal Code (leading and participating in a group for committing crimes against the Republic) and under Article 104, paragraph 1 of the Penal Code (espionage in favor of a foreign state).
The object of the investigation is the activity of Bulgarian servicemen and civil servants in various state institutions, including the Ministry of Defense, the Military Information Service and others related to the national security of the country, for which there were data that they collected classified information in order to hand it over to a foreign country.
On March 18, after collecting the necessary amount of data on the criminal activity, active actions were taken to neutralize their anti-state activity.
A large number of high-intensity investigative actions were carried out, in particular searches and related seizures of personal and business addresses, in which material evidence was seized and relevant to the subject of the investigation – computers, mobile devices, multiple memory cards and SIM cards, as well as written documentation relevant to the subject of the investigation.
The supervisory prosecutors from the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office also took part in the actions.
As a result of the investigation, 6 persons were prosecuted. Charges have been brought against them for crimes under Article 104, paragraph 1 of the Penal Code (espionage in favor of a foreign state). 5 of the persons were charged with a crime under Article 109, paragraph 2 of the Penal Code (participation in a group for committing crimes under Chapter I), and with respect to one person – the leader of the group, for a crime under Article 109 , para 1 of the Penal Code.
Five of the persons supervised by the supervising prosecutor were ordered to be detained for up to 72 hours under Art. 64, para 2 of the PPC, and an assessment will be made regarding the submission of a request for their permanent detention. A „bail“ measure has been taken against a person who fully cooperates with the investigation.
In the course of the investigation, one of the accused managed to escape. All possible actions for his search were carried out immediately and he was found near the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the capital. Criminal proceedings were instituted under the supervision of the Military Appellate Prosecutor’s Office – Sofia to clarify the above circumstances and possibly the guilty officials.
