2024-04-12 06:36:38
The 5 Bulgarians who siphoned over 50 million pounds from the British treasury through welfare payments recruited people from Bulgaria for the fraud. This is clear from a message from the EU agency for fighting crime Eurojust. The district prosecutor’s office in Sliven also participated in the investigation of Ostrov, which suggests that the gang was looking for people for its scheme from this city.
According to Eurojust, the ringleaders of the criminal scheme recruited people from Bulgaria, obtained their identity documents and paid them a portion of the proceeds of false benefit claims made on their behalf. The recruits then returned to their homeland with the proceeds of their crimes.
According to the investigation, through financial fraud, 33-year-old Gunesh Ali, 38-year-old Galina Nikolova, 27-year-old Stoyan Stoyanov, 52-year-old Tsvetka Todorova and 26-year-old Patritsia Paneva have damaged the British treasury by more than 50 million pounds. Between October 2016 and May 2021, the group made thousands of false claims for Universal Credit (a UK social security payment) using either real people or stolen identities. According to “24 Chasa” information, Gunesh Ali, who is accused of being a gang leader, has a business in the center of Plovdiv. “Günesh is gone, only the accountants come to him in the morning. His office is on the 3rd floor. And this establishment right here is his. His whole family is turning on him”, says a security guard in one of the most iconic buildings in the supercenter of Plovdiv – the former “Balkan” cinema.
“This work cannot be done without people. Gunesh had about 20 accountants in England who prepared the documents. How the British managed to flip it is beyond belief. But it is true that Gunesh is an alert boy, his mind is sharp”, adds the guard.
The company with which the young man continues to do business in Plovdiv is “Vip Deluxe”. It is located on the 3rd floor of the representative building in the heart of the city. Dolu is one of the busiest restaurants in Plovdiv. Many consider it Greek, since for many years it operated as a typical patisserie of our southern neighbor. It was last owned by a Cypriot.
“The restaurant has been owned by Gunesh for two years. His relatives are here every day and manage him,” adds the security guard. He is not sure if the 33-year-old man comes from Stolipinovo. A reference indicates that Ali is not the sole owner of the capital, which is BGN 6,000. He has 2,400 BGN, and his two partners – 1,800 each.