site.btaBulgarians Apparently Involved in Defrauding Luxembourg Charity of EUR 62 Mln

Bulgarian members of a crime group engaging in counterfeiting, fraud and money laundering have been detained in an international law enforcement operation under the auspices of Eurojust, the Appellate Prosecution Office in the Black Sea city of Varna said on Friday. The group is suspected of committing massive fraud affecting the finances of a charity foundation in Luxembourg working for the social inclusion of people in need. The detriment inflicted on the foundation is estimated at EUR 62 million.

Six men were detained in Bulgaria on a European arrest warrant, the Interior Ministry in Sofia said. They are expected to stay in custody until possibly being extradited to Luxembourg.

The Bulgarians were apparently involved in the registration of companies and bank accounts in Spain, which were used to move criminally acquired money from various funds in Luxembourg to accounts in non-EU countries, the Interior Ministry said.

In Varna, the actions under the European arrest warrant have been led by the District Prosecution Office. The regional investigation departments in Sofia, Pernik, Sliven and Silistra are working on the case as well. Officers of the Directorate General for National Police and regional Interior Ministry directorates are contributing to the effort.

On January 23, law enforcers in Bulgaria and several other countries searched properties, cars and people and collected physical evidence in the case. Many electronic devices and documents were found to have relevance to the criminal operation. The Bulgarian services have been in contact with the authorities in Luxembourg, the Interior Ministry said.