site.btaSix Arrested in Bulgaria for Crimes against Luxembourg's Financial System

A specialized police operation to counter crimes against Luxembourg's financial system was carried out on January 23 in several districts of Bulgaria, the Interior Ministry's press office said on Friday. The action was taken following a European Investigation Order from the District Court of Luxembourg, which delegated the actions on Bulgarian territory to the Varna District Prosecutor's Office.

Officers from the police directorates of Sofia, Varna, Silistra, Sliven, and Pernik detained six persons on the basis of European arrest warrants. They are suspected of being part of an organized crime group operating in Luxembourg and Spain.

The Bulgarian nationals were involved in the registration of companies and bank accounts in Spain, through which the criminal use of various funds in Luxembourg was dispersed to different accounts in non-EU countries. To date, the group has caused financial damage of more than EUR 62 million.

Eight addresses were checked and material evidence was seized, including a large number of mobile phones.

During the preparation and implementation of the specialized operation, daily contact was maintained with representatives of the Luxembourg authorities and a team of six experts from the Luxembourg police was directly involved in the process.

The six Bulgarian citizens were detained for up to 24 hours and the actions were reported to the District Prosecutor's Offices of the places of detention, where the extradition procedure will continue.

Work on the case continues, the statement said.