site.btaProsecution Demands Four Years' Imprisonment for Former Deputy Parliament Chairman Bisserov

Prosecution Demands Four Years' Imprisonment for Former Deputy Parliament Chairman Bisserov

Sofia, November 30 (BTA) - The prosecution demanded four years' imprisonment for former National Assembly deputy chairman Hristo Bisserov in a trial which began on Monday. Bisserov is charged with tax evasion, undeclared money transfers and incomplete information submitted to the National Audit Office.

Bisserov told the court he understands what he is accused of, but not why. He refused to give explanations. His wife Maria Bisserova and stepson Ivailo Glavinkov declined to testify. The prosecution said Bisserov's future punishment should take account of the high office which he held at the time.

The prosecution claims that in December 2012 Bisserov made two money transfers from his own bank accounts in euro and US dollars to a bank in Geneva for the benefit of his stepson Glavinkov. The amount of the transfers was excluded from Bisserov's tax return for 2012 and in this way he evaded 25,678 leva in tax, which is considered a particularly large amount by judicial standards.

Between January 2013 and March 2014, Bisserov violated the Foreign Exchange Act by failing to declare his receivables from foreign persons that exceeded 50,000 leva, the prosecution says.

He also failed to declare to the Bulgarian National Bank that in December 2012 he made money transfers to accounts held by his son in Macedonia. The value of the transactions was equivalent to 700,960 leva, which is considered a particularly large amount by judicial standards.

The assets available in the Geneva bank - 314,529 US dollars and 82,515 euro - were not declared to the National Audit Office, although Bisserov had to do that in the declaration which he submitted in March 2013 pursuant to the Public Disclosure of Senior Public Officials' Financial Interests Act.

The court constituted the Ministry of Finance as a claimant in the case. The amount of the claim is approximately 18,000 leva.