The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office filed a charge of coercion against construction contractor Veliko Zhelev and decided to keep him in custody for 72 hours. The state prosecution will then request the businessman’s permanent detention.
The prosecutor’s office reports that the case dates back to February 24 of this year, but it is not clear when the complaint was filed. On February 28, the Ministry of the Interior and the regional ministry identified the problem with the missing asphalt on the Northern expressway.
Now Zhelev is accused of having tried to force B. A. to assume a property obligation by signing promissory notes and expense orders for a total amount of BGN 68,000.
The prosecutor’s office reported blows to the face and body, which resulted in minor bodily injury. “The public will be promptly notified of the results of the investigation,” the investigators promise.
Earlier in the day, it became clear that Veliko Zhelev was not investigated for the construction of the highway near Sofia.
Demerdzhiev: “Hemus” should also be investigated
On Tuesday, the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev commented that the prosecutor’s office should look for a connection between the checks on the “Hemus” highway and the coercion proceedings against Veliko Zhelev.
“During one of the inspections of lots 5, 7, 8 and 9 on the Hemus highway, it was found that there was an advance payment for a little over BGN 48 million for the company we are still talking about now,” the minister said. According to him, this was saved by the prosecutor’s office.
“It is not bad for her to look for a connection between the two proceedings. At the end of December last year, the GDBOP handed over materials to the prosecutor’s office. From here on, it is important for me to see if there is a connection with the situation that has now become public and the initiated proceedings for coercion and the advance payment of a little over BGN 48 million in relation to one of the lots of “Hemus”, said Demerdzhiev.
He stated that if there is such a connection, the prosecutor’s office should explain exactly what it is and inform the public.
“I expect the prosecutor’s office to carry out all the necessary actions in all proceedings concerning Hemus, and not only in them. The public attention here is particularly high and I expect the prosecutor’s office to do its job,” Demerdzhiev said.
The action against Veliko Zhelev
The case against the construction boss Veliko Zhelev was started after a complaint from his former employee. This became clear from the statements of the prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. The previous evening, the entrepreneur was arrested for 24 hours, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs searched his offices in the center of Sofia.
The former employee complained of pressure and minor bodily injury. The proceedings were initially filed for his injuries, but then reclassified to extortion.
Until late Tuesday evening, police searched the offices. Documents and computers were seized. According to the prosecutor’s office, the investigation is currently not related to the contractor’s construction activities. In recent years, his companies have completed multi-billion-dollar projects such as the Northern Expressway. In addition, they won competitions for the Shipka tunnel and the Ruse-Tarnovo and Hemus highways.
Apart from Zhelev, two other people are also under investigation. They have not been arrested and are being sought.
The action against Zhelev comes against the background of the regional minister Ivan Shishkov’s statements that during the construction of the Northern Tangent asphalt was spared and the pavement was thinner. Hours before his arrest, the prosecutor’s office announced that it had requested data and documents on the implementation of large infrastructure projects.
The alleged connections
Zhelev is considered close to former GERB leaders and DPS MP Delyan Peevski. During the reign of Boyko Borisov, his business grew. In addition, the entrepreneur also bought the company “Vodstroy”-98, associated with Peevski. This company became part of “Hidrostroy”, whose owner is Zhelev.
Former Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov hinted that the businessman might be connected to irregularities in the construction of “Hemus”. He claimed that a “big and tough” builder had transferred over BGN 20 million to the United Arab Emirates.
The former football referee from Blagoevgrad Borislav Kolev and a group of construction businessmen were accused in the investigation of the construction of “Hemus”. For months, despite promises, the prosecutor’s office has refused to release their names. According to investigators, they were involved in a scheme in which millions advanced to Hemus were funneled through several shell companies and then cashed out of a bank.
