2024-04-19 00:44:59
The former Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs remained silent during the 4-hour interrogation by the Anti-Corruption Commission
The former Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zhivko Kotsev, officially became the fifth member of the cigarette smuggling criminal group after a 4-hour interrogation at the Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday. The former director of customs Petya Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov are in custody. The third, the smuggler Nikola Nikolov-Paskal, is wanted. Stefan’s father – Marin Dimitrov, was detained for 72 hours, but is now at home until the doctors decide whether he can stay in detention because of his heart disease.
Unlike the others, Zhivko Kotsev will not be in custody. The prosecutor’s office has ordered that he remain free on bail of BGN 20,000. During the interrogation, as an accused, he exercised his right to remain silent, “24 Chasa” learned.
After the accusation, Kotsev did not comment on anything.
“I expect you to be present when they acquit him or drop the charges against him,” said lawyer Iliyan Vasilev, who was with him at the Anti-Corruption Commission together with another defender – Daniela Dokovska. Vassilev did not answer the question of whether Kotsev was charged. Vasilev and Dokovska are convinced that the former general secretary did not commit a crime.
On the day of the arrests, April 3, Kotsev’s office and residence were searched. Then he requested a meeting with the chief prosecutor Borislav Sarafov and testified as an anonymous witness. They were also cited in court when the detention measures for Petya Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov were considered. Kotsev resigned, and the next day withdrew it. After that, photos of him with the defendants Stefan and Marin Dimitrovi were leaked on the Internet. During the investigation, it became clear that Kotsev was close to them, and they worked with the smuggler Pascal.
The chairman of DANS, Plamen Tonchev, revealed on Wednesday in the parliament that the Dimitrovs have been monitored since the summer of 2022, and during the development of DANS, their close contacts with the chief secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were detected. They even organized his meetings with Petya Bankova from customs in order to frame the two institutions and provide a corridor for Pascal’s smuggling channels.
Zhivko Kotsev was released by decree of President Rumen Radev on the first day of the caretaker government.
Today, the Court of Appeal in Sofia will sit on the remand order for Petya Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov, after Bankova’s lawyer presented a sick note twice and the hearings were postponed.