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© Velko Angelov
Elena Dineva has to pay BGN 1 million to be released, but the defense claims that she will refuse and remain in custody.
The specialized criminal court set a bond of BGN 1 million for Vasil Bozhkov’s wife Elena Dineva. The decision of the magistrates is final and cannot be appealed.
Until the hearing, the amount of the bond was 750,000 BGN and the amount was determined by the court of first instance, the specialized criminal court. However, Dineva will not pay the amount and will remain in custody, her lawyer Lyudmil Rangelov told reporters.
Dineva has been behind bars since the end of February accused of participating in a criminal group led by Vasil Bozhkov. On February 20, the specialized court imposed a bond of BGN 1.5 million for his release, but a week later the appeals court ruled that the most severe measure of “permanent detention” should be imposed on him. Meanwhile, Vasil Bozhkov’s son Anton, who is also accused of being part of an organized criminal group, was released on bail of BGN 1 million.
After nearly 3 weeks, the 8-month period expires, after which the prosecution must officially release Dineva from custody and impose the least amount of restriction on her “subscription”. She can remain in custody only if another charge has been filed in another case.
What amounts Dineva has and if it can pay 750,000 BGN was the main issue discussed today by the prosecution, the defense and the court. Dineva’s lawyers Georgi Gatev and Lyudmil Rangelov stressed that the amount was too high and the prosecution insisted that Dineva post a bond of BGN 1.5 million if she was not returned to custody.
“I have been in custody for more than 7 months. The searches and searches of my house began on January 29 and have not ended to this day. More than 130 days have passed. No money was found and they began to seize what they found. “Researchers to take everything from my house, collected during my 50 years of life. I provide them with sanitary supplies, bathrooms, whatever they need. About 3,000 officials have passed through my house, ”Dineva told the court.
“As you have closets, so do I. I have everything described in it and they tell me – now we are just describing the experience – in years. From January until now there are policemen at my house 24 hours a day. More than 1700 policemen have passed by my apartment The bedroom At least it has already been opened, but the closet is still sealed under 24-hour security. There is no way I can hide anything, “Dineva emphasized, to refute the arguments of the prosecution that, if released, she could hide evidence or objects not yet described.
Dineva’s defenders said that much of her property had been confiscated in advance. He does not have joint bank accounts with Vasil Bozhkov and cannot dispose of their joint assets. Furthermore, many of the companies in which he participates have no business or income.
“His belongings and paintings are confiscated from his personal collection and this is done to secure a possible civil lawsuit in case of conviction after years. The belongings are not even valued at this stage – it can be a statuette for 1 euro from the El market. Cairo, it can be a valuable image. Everything is exported, “explained Dineva’s lawyers.
“The fact that she is Vasil Bozhkov’s wife does not mean that she is a millionaire. She is held hostage by her husband,” said lawyer Gatev. According to his colleague Lyudmil Rangelov, his arrest is an opportunity to exert significant pressure and influence on Vasil Bozhkov, and the excessive amount of bail becomes a screen for the continued unacceptable detention and covert execution of the most severe measure.
However, according to the prosecutor’s office, Dineva must remain in custody, and evidence against her continues to be collected during the raids on her home.
The court panel is of the same opinion, stating in their motives that indeed a large part of her property is under arrest or confiscation, but Dineva has a property in Paris worth 25 million euros. Furthermore, the seized paintings and cultural property remain her property. She is also involved in companies affiliated with those of Vasil Bozhkov, and was also suspected of having carried out simulated transactions and received dividends that were not due to her. An additional argument of the court about Dineva’s condition is the fact that she very often changed lawyers, which is an expense for fees.
Before the court delivered its decision, lawyer Lyudmil Rangelov told reporters that Dineva would not post bail even for the initial amount of 750,000 BGN, nor the 1.5 million BGN, which the prosecution requested. If the amount is not paid within 7 days, Dineva will remain in custody.
According to the defense, the investigation should be nearing completion and even extend after the first 8 months, Dineva cannot be detained unless she is charged in a new case. Lawyers do not rule out such a possibility.
