Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov shared disturbing circumstances about the investigation of the ACF published 3 years ago, known as „The Eight Dwarfs“. This happened yesterday in a broadcast on „bTV“, the Anti-Corruption Fund /ACF/ informed.
The Anti-Corruption Fund’s four-part investigation „The Eight Dwarfs“ reveals concrete evidence of how undue influence to settle legal conflicts is achieved in Bulgaria and attempts are made to seize business through the involvement of law enforcement.
The Fund indicated:
„Sarafov himself admitted that yesterday’s published photos of him in front of the restaurant of the same name with Former Head of the Metropolitan Investigation Petyo Petrov are authentic. According to his words, he had visited the restaurant at the invitation of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, who, however, did not go to the specific meeting, but had visited the place many times.
On the basis of the above, we consider that there are convincing data of connections of the heads of the prosecution with Mr. Petyo Petrov, the head of the alleged criminal network for undue influence in justice, which became known as „The Eight Dwarfs“.
This circumstance in itself is extremely disturbing and probably explains the lack of any adequate institutional response to what has been brought forward in this investigation for three years now. The state authorities in the form of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Committee for Combatting Corruption and the Withdrawal of Illegally Acquired Property, and the Prosecutor’s Office cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this case.
We ensure that there is an opportunity for all affected parties or others who have information about the case to speak to us.“
We remind you that yesterday the ACF provided the media with information with photographic material that they received from an unknown sender. It refers to the closed capital restaurant „The Eight Dwarfs“. The materials confirmed the information presented so far about schemes for undue influence and use of the prosecutor’s office in private interests, with the participation of Former Head of the investigation, Petyo Petrov, and acting magistrates.
Over the years, Petyo Petrov’s name has been associated with numerous scandals in the media, becoming more famous for his role as a witness in landmark criminal cases against his fellow magistrates than for his work as an investigator. In the case against Former Minister of Defense Nikolay Tsonev and the Sofia City Court Judge Petar Santirov, who were finally acquitted of giving and receiving bribes respectively, the court came to the conclusion that the witness Petrov had carried out a provocation to bribe. However, he was neither prosecuted nor disciplined and he left the judiciary in 2015 of his own volition with his due compensation for time served.
The ACF will send this information for verification to the Prosecutor’s Office, where we hope there will be new developments on the subject.
