The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on three Bulgarian citizens and 64 related entities on Wednesday for involvement in corruption.
The US government believes that corruption undermines the rule of law, the economy and its growth, undermines democratic institutions, promotes conflict, and denies innocent citizens basic human rights.
Under the Magnitsky Act, the Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on prominent Bulgarian businessman and oligarch Vassil Kroumov Boykov, former MP Delyan Slavchev Peevski and former Deputy Chief of the Bulgarian State Agency for Technical Operations Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov B. National Agency for the Control of Detection Data Collection Equipment. Sanctions have also been imposed on companies owned or controlled by these individuals.
Also today, the State Department has designated citizens Peevski and Zhelyazkov, among others, under Article 7031 (c) of the Law on the Department of State Financing, Overseas Operations and Related Programs, as a result of the inclusion of their in high-level corruption.
The State Department statement said that former Bulgarian public sector officials Alexander Manolev, Petar Haralampiev, Krasimir Tomov, Delyan Slavchev Peevski and current official Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov were publicly identified as a result of their involvement in deep corruption.
During Alexander Manolev’s tenure as Deputy Economy Minister, Haralampiev as Director of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad and Tomov as Secretary General of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, they have been involved in corrupt acts that have undermined the rule of law and the confidence of the Bulgarian people in democratic institutions, using their political influence and power for personal gain.
As a Member of Parliament, Peevski used the senior official of the National Bureau for the Control of Intelligence Data Collection Equipment, Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov, as a mediator and collaborator to sell influence and pay bribes to protect himself from the public eye and for exert influence on Bulgaria’s key institutions and sectors, the State Department said in a statement. The State Department has also publicly identified close family members of these individuals.
On the other hand, the Treasury Department says today’s announcement shows the highest-level action ever taken in a single day to hold accountable those involved in corruption.
Today’s definition exposes individuals Boykov, Peevski and Zhelyazkov for abusing public institutions for personal gain and cutting off access to them and companies that own the US financial system. The Treasury Department calls on all governments to take appropriate and effective measures against money laundering and corruption in an effort to protect the international financial system.
VASSIL KROUMOV BOYKOV AND HIS NETWORK
Bulgarian businessman and oligarch Vassil Kroumov Boykov has given bribes to government officials on several occasions. He also planned earlier this year to provide money for a former official and a politician in exchange for help Boykov establish ties with Russian political leaders to influence Bulgarian government officials.
Boykov is currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after successfully escaping extradition to Bulgaria on numerous charges of corruption and organized crime.
Bulgarian prosecutors have revealed that in February 2018, Boykov gave over $ 6,000 a day to the then head of the gambling agency to revoke the licenses of his competitors. Following the emergence of this massive bribery scheme, the gambling agency was disbanded and its chairman jailed. 58 related entities have been blacklisted.
DELYAN SLAVCHEV PEEVSKI AND HIS NETWORK
Delyan Slavchev Peevski (Peevski) is an oligarch who previously served as an MP and media mogul, who is regularly involved in corruption. In September 2019, he actively worked to negatively influence the political process in the local elections of October 27, 2019. To avoid criminal investigations against him, he provided politicians with positive media coverage.
sanctions
All property and interests related to the properties of the aforementioned individuals that are in the United States or owned or controlled by U.S. citizens are blocked and must be reported, the Treasury Department said in a statement./VOA
