site.btaCommittee on "Historical Park" Project Holds Hearing of National Revenue, Security Agency Heads

A parliamentary ad hoc committee of inquiry looking into the activities of Ivelin Mihaylov, the person behind the parliamentary party Velichie and mastermind of the Historical Park project held a closed-door hearing of National Revenue Agency Director Rumen Spetsov and State Agency for National Security Chair Plamen Tonchev.

What is the Historical Park

The Historical Park is a theme park in the village of Neofit Rilski near Varna. The company owning the project got in trouble when it was reported that it was selling shares in violation of the Public Offering of Securities Act. The project nearly bought out the land in Neofit Rilski and large properties in nearby villages, and created a structure which bears all signs of a sect and an Ivelin Mihaylov personality cult with its own law-enforcement organization, according to reports. The project grew into a political party, Velichie [Grandeur] which - surprisingly - cleared the 4% barrier for entry in Parliament to become the seventh political force in the new legislature after the June 9 national elections. The entry into politics was followed by a rift between Ivelin Mihaylov and the Velichie floor leader Nikolai Markov, and the disintegration of the Velichie group in Parliament. In a video on the social networks published earlier this week, Mihaylov said that low attendance at the Historical Park and shrinking investment prevent him from honoring his commitments to investors, essentially warning of the project's failure.

The ad hoc committee hearing

Revenue Agency director Spetsov said that the information he disclosed during the Wednesday hearing pertained solely to tax and insurance information and had to be restricted to this committee.

During the open part of the hearing, the committee members heard Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, Interior Ministry acting Secretary General Dimitar Kangaldzhiev, and the Director of Varna Regional Directorate of the Interior, Andrei Angelov.

MP Tsveta Rangelova (Vazrazhdane), who chairs the committee, requested that the quaestors escort out three individuals claiming to be Historical Park investors who recorded the committee hearing, took pictures and disrupted the proceedings.

"In the presence of the Interior Minister and the NRA Director, these individuals act like thugs and take pictures with their mobile phones," said MP Georgi Georgiev (GERB-UDF). He asked the three men to be removed from the room because, in his words, people may find this behavior intimidating, and MPs most definitely should not be subject to it.

After he emerged from the meeting, Minister Stoyanov told journalists that the Interior Ministry has conducted 28 probes into Ivelin Mihaylov and his associates over the years. These focused on potential economic and criminal offences.

"After the probes were done, all files were sent to the prosecution service. Many were dismissed before initiating pre-trial procedures. A few cases remain under consideration by the prosecution service, with decisions on them still pending", he explained. "Five or six case files are currently under investigation by the regional directorate of the Interior", Stoyanov said. He added that there is one pending pre-trial proceeding for documentary fraud.

Asked whether anybody enjoys "a shield" against investigation, the Interior Minister said nobody does.

In 2019, Varna Regional Prosecution Service launched a probe into the investment activities, including share purchases in the Historical Park but it was later terminated. That same year, another probe was launched following an anonymous tip-off alleging that Together Ltd. was operating a financial pyramid scheme. The company was owned by Vasia Yordanova, Mihaylov's ex-wife, and others, including Mihaylov himself. Allegedly the pyramid scheme involved selling counterfeit shares and misleading investors about the true objectives and potential returns of the "Historical Park" project. The prosecution service, however, declined to launch pre-trial proceedings.

Probes have also been launched regarding alleged illegal real estate acquisitions in the village of Neofit Rilski, near Varna, suspecting a money laundering operation involving properties purchased below market value.

In 2024, a probe was launched into allegations of multiple voter registrations at different addresses in Vetrino municipality, aimed at supporting the Velichie party. The Varna Regional Prosecution Service declined to open criminal proceedings.