site.btaProsecutor's Office Requests of US Department of State More Information on Bulgarians Sanctioned under Magnitsky Act

June 17 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Supreme Prosecutor's Office of
 Cassation requested of the US Department of State additional
information on the case of imposing sanctions on three Bulgarian
 nationals under the Magnitsky Act, BTA learned on Thursday from
 the prosecuting magistracy.

The persons in question are businessmen Vassil Bojkov and Delyan
 Peevski, and the former deputy chief of the National Bureau for
 Control on Special Intelligence-Gathering Devices, Ilko
Zhelyazkov.

The prosecuting magistracy's request was submitted via the
Justice Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who asked
for more details on the reasons for the sanctions. Two weeks
ago, the prosecuting magistracy announced it was initiating
checks on the persons designated by the US Administration.
  
On June 2, the US Department of the Treasury reported that its
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned three
Bulgarian individuals for their extensive roles in corruption in
 Bulgaria, as well as their networks encompassing 64 entities.
This action targets Vassil Kroumov Bojkov, a prominent Bulgarian
 businessman and oligarch; Delyan Slavchev Peevski, a former
Member of Parliament; Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov, the former
Deputy Chief of the Bulgarian State Agency for Technical
Operations who was appointed to the National Bureau for Control
on Special Intelligence-Gathering Devices; and the companies
owned or controlled by the respective individuals, reads the US
Department of the Treasury's press release.

The sanctions ban the persons from entering the USA, and block
their companies and bank accounts there.

RI/MT



/МЙ/