Mircho Tsiganina and 7 accused of emptying the reserve died

Among them is the husband of an MRF MEP

Only the former head of management Vasil Tsokanov is alive, but he will not be penalized for the expiration of the absolute statute of limitations.

The state will not receive a single cent of BGN 22 million, as was the civil lawsuit against businessmen and senior officials.

Mircho Petkov-Tsiganina and 7 other defendants in the mega case to drain the State Reserve have died, 24 Chasa learned.

On September 25 of this year, the case against him finally ended in the last resort: the Supreme Court of Cassation. A decision has been announced, but there will be no sanctions. The only survivor is Vasil Tsokanov, who was head of a directorate in the State Reserve. However, for the crimes committed by him, the absolute statute of limitations has expired and there is no penalty.

Mircho Tsiganina was arrested as the leader of a criminal group for draining the reserve in August 2006. Before and after that date, his name has been linked to party funding and even the construction of Dogan’s barn. The investigation lasted 1 year, and the case in all instances – 13. During all these years, the ranks of the 9 defendants have been reduced for natural reasons, and the process has intensified in the last two, according to court documents. Among the dead is Stanislav Koparov, husband of MRF MEP Iskra Mihailova. Koparov was president of the State Reserve in 2002 and 2003, when the grain was exported from there to Mircho Tsiganina’s companies. His suspended sentence was annulled by his death and by the expiration of the absolute prescription, as well as the others.

Of the 9 defendants, only the defendant as the leader of the criminal group Mircho Tsiganina received a sentence of 3 years in prison effectively in the first instance in the Sofia Municipal Court. This happened on March 10, 2017. At the time, he did not comment on his sentence and promised to speak when the case was finally closed.

In the case, the state will not receive a penny of its claims against deceased defendants totaling BGN 22 million, without interest, as estimated in the damage to the budget.

From 2002 to 2004, when the NMSS and MRF ruled, Mircho Tsiganina and the reserve chiefs organized the sale of 83,500 tons of wheat from the reserve. The then president of the state reserve, Stanislav Koparov, sent a request to the interdepartmental council to allow the sale of wheat in order to refresh the merchandise. The grain had to be delivered for storage for a period of one year to private companies and the reserve had to “refresh” their stocks. Without waiting for a council decision, Koparov organized tenders for the selection of companies. 22 were chosen, two of whom belonged to people around Mircho Petkov, who later turned out to be accused. According to the agreement, the companies received tons of wheat with a bank guarantee that covered 120% of the value of the grain. They had to return it in 6 months and it turns out that the bank guarantees are false. Meanwhile, the grain was sold and loaded onto a ship to be sold at bargain prices abroad. However, the initial quantity of 18,000 tons did not fill the cargo compartment and foreigners asked for more grain. Thus, more auctions were urgently organized, won by Mircho Tsiganina’s deputies. The wheat was never returned to the reserve, as it was written in the contracts.