The Court of Appeal in Sofia has finally granted permission to the prosecutor’s request for a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for Tsvetan Vassilev accused of money laundering in our country. Thus, the decision of the first instance was confirmed, reports BTA.
According to the magistrates of the second instance, this is the only possible measure that could ensure the normal course of the proceedings against the banker.
Furthermore, there is a reasonable presumption that he is complicit in the crimes for which he is accused. The court also took into account the fact that Vasilev is in Serbia. Thus the conclusion is reached that if no arrest warrant is issued, he can abscond.
The decision of the court is final.
In July 2014, the banker Tsvetan Vassilev was brought in as a defendant for embezzlement on a particularly large scale in connection with the bankruptcy of the Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB). He was subsequently charged with over 100 crimes. The charges were brought in absentia as Vasilev managed to leave the country and has been in Serbia ever since. A European arrest warrant was also issued and the banker was wanted in the Schengen Information System.
In 2022, the lawyer of the former majority owner of KTB, Konstantin Simeonov, announced that an Interpol commission had examined his complaint and found that the search for the banker was for political reasons. The International Criminal Police Organization has decided to delete all data in its system related to Vasilev, as the case no longer met Interpol’s requirements.
In the same year, the Court of Appeal in Belgrade finally rejected the request of the authorities in Sofia to extradite Tsvetan Vassilev from Serbia. At the same time, it became clear that on July 26, 2021, he also received political asylum in our western neighbor.
2024-01-30 13:15:00
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