site.btaCourt Goes Ahead with Organized Crime Case against Grisha Ganchev

Court Goes Ahead with Organized Crime Case against Grisha Ganchev

Sofia, August 4 (BTA) - The specialized court Tuesday went ahead with the organized crime trial of prominent businessman Grisha Ganchev and nine co-defendants.

The criminal group led by the Lovech-based businessman was allegedly set up to evade the ascertainment and payment of large amounts of VAT, 711,580 leva, which was owed by Ganchev's Litex Commerce AD - a company with many lines of business, including the automotive industry, sugar trade, fuels trade, energy, transport and tourism - for sale of sugar produced at sugar factories in Bourgas and Devnya, without invoices.

Among Ganchev's co-defendants is his son and Litex Commerce executive director Danail Ganchev.

The government placed a claim for the unpaid VAT but the court turned it down because its review would have delayed the organized crime trial.

Grisha Ganchev was also charged with threatening to murder Krassimir Stefanov, the National Revenue Agency's director in 2012. Appearing in the courtroom on Tuesday, Stefanov declared that he did not wish to be constituted as a party over the alleged life threats against him.