site.btaPM Denkov Confirms Arrest of Bulgarian National in Serbia

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov confirmed here on Tuesday that a man had been detained in Bosilegrad (Southeastern Serbia) and certain charges had been brought against him. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will look into the case," Denkov said, adding that there is no other official information except what has been reported.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office (VJT) in Vranje reported that Serbian police on Monday detained L.G. of Bosilegrad on charges of spying in favour of Bulgaria. The suspect is charged with passing classified military information to members of an organization from the Republic of Bulgaria, which can be detrimental to Serbia's security, defence and military interests, the Serbian Military Intelligence Agency (VOA) said. 

The man was taken for questioning to the chief prosecutor at the VJT in Vranje and was detained for 30 days.

https://www.juznevesti.com reported that the arrest was made by officers of Serbia's Security Information Agency (BIA), the Vranje Police and the VJT in Vranje. The news portal did not have information whether the suspect was member of the Serbian Armed Forces. 

On Tuesday, Bulgarian National Television (BNT), citing its sources in Serbia, identified the man as Ljuben Grigorov. BNT specified that Grigorov was arrested at his home, which was searched along with his workplace at the local Culture Centre. His computer was seized.

Approached by BNT for comment, Bosilegrad Culture and Information Centre Chair Ivan Nikolov said that Grigorov organized cultural events, conducted a folk festival and was available for other activities, too. He was often seen together with Bosilegrad Mayor Vladimir Zaharijev. Nikolov said that the espionage charges "sound odd". He explained that Grigorov served as an officer in the army during the war, after which he took up business and then joined the Culture Centre. He often travelled to Bulgaria, where his daughter lives, and holds Bulgarian citizenship.