A prime official believed to be behind Bulgaria’s ongoing safety of OneCoin has been fired.
On June twelfth, Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) voted to dismiss Ivan Geshev as Prosecutor-Basic.
On June fifteenth, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev signed off on the SJC’s decree, successfully firing Geshev from his publish.
The Sofia Globe stories Geshev (proper) was dumped following a 16/4 vote break up.
The vote stemmed from a basic consensus that “Geshev introduced the judiciary into disrepute.”
The precise occasion that triggered that consensus was a Might fifteenth information convention, throughout which Geshev “accused politicians of interfering within the work of the prosecutor’s workplace.”
Previous the Might information convention was a February 2023 report from BIRD, alleging OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova was “killed on a yacht” again in 2018.
The hit was reported to have been ordered by Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki, one of the infamous members of Bulgaria’s prison society.
The report stays an unverified idea however set off a political firestorm in Bulgaria.
The start of that firestorm was the implication of Bulgarian crimelords being sheltered by authorities – particularly Geshev’s Workplace and Mikhail Naumov, head of Bulgaria’s Federal Murder Division.
In response to BIRD’s article, one in all Taki’s associates filed 5 defamation lawsuits in opposition to BIRD journalists and editorial workers.
As an alternative of investigating the lead, Geshev’s Workplace locked arms with Taki.
On March sixteenth Geshev held a information convention, throughout which he denounced BIRD’s reporting as “an alleged plot to incriminate him and the high-ranking magistrates and law enforcement officials.”
Additional revealing what his Workplace has been as much as as a substitute of investigating Taki, Geshev leaked unredacted correspondence between BIRD journalists and a previously protected supply on April seventh.
The supply was later arrested on drug possession expenses, in what seems to be an try and stop additional interplay with BIRD journalists.
Issues additional escalated on April thirteenth, when Geshev introduced his Workplace had initiated a prison investigation into Bulgarian journalists masking the scandal (together with the 2 BIRD journalists who broke the Ruja yacht story).
This transfer was broadly condemned by media watchdog teams.
Two weeks later Geshev was the reported goal of a automotive bomb assault. Media shops sympathetic to Geshev, have been fast responsible journalists for the alleged assault.
The timing of the assault was extremely suspicious. Personally I feel it was staged to drum up help for Geshev ignoring crime and going after journalists.
Members of the Bulgarian Nationwide Meeting have been additionally skeptical of the assault. As reported by Politico;
Many opposition politicians, nevertheless, suspected political theater, with Geshev increase a faux story of persecution because the political tide turns in opposition to him.
Atanas Atanasov, co-chairman of the reformist Democratic Bulgaria occasion, added there was “clear proof of staging.”
Public remarks from Bulgarian politicians ridiculing him didn’t sit nicely with Geshev.
On Might fifteenth Geshev held one other news-conference, this time pledging ” to rid the Nationwide Meeting of its “political rubbish.””
For the SJC, that was the straw that broke the camel’s again.
The Supreme Judicial Council cited this outburst in explaining its vote to take away him, arguing he had crossed crimson traces.
“The rules of ‘politeness and tolerance’ and ‘honesty and decency’ within the Code of Moral Habits of Bulgarian Magistrates have been violated together with his remarks at a press convention held on Might 15, 2023.”
As an alternative of acknowledging he was fired, Geshev framed it as a resignation.
“That is the final time I’m talking to you as a Justice of the Peace, after I complied with the regulation, and after 30 years of working for the folks, I’m now resigning.
Ivan Geshev states additional that the work of the prosecutor’s workplace in opposition to “prison oligarchs and in opposition to occasion leaders with sticky fingers” has led, prior to now few months to “the unprecedented unity of politicians in prime positions, mafia and shady companies” who’re attempting to “deliver beneath management and subdue the prosecutor’s workplace”.
Riiiiiiiiighhhh…………t.
It’s value noting that after Geshev’s career-ending outburst, over in South Africa Karassimir Kamenov was shot lifeless on Might twenty fifth.
Kamenov, a former long-time affiliate of Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki, is believed to be behind the March 2022 homicide of Lyubomir Ivanov.
Ivanov was former head of the prison division of Bulgaria’s nationwide police. Paperwork BIRD relied on to place collectively their “Ruja Ignatova was murdered on a yacht” report have been sourced from Ivanov’s private protected.
I do know the names are difficult to comply with however we’ve mainly come full-circle again to OneCoin.
In response to Dimitar Stoyanov, one of many BIRD journalists who broke the Ruja yacht story, previous to Kamenov’s homicide he “had given proof earlier than a overseas jurisdiction within the final six months “in reference to key prison instances with a world factor”.”
That is believed to be the US’ ongoing prison investigation into OneCoin.
The day after Kamenov’s homicide, BIRD reported Kamenov “was about to say extra to US investigators”.
On the time of his homicide Kamenov had an Interpol Purple Discover out on him, issued by Bulgaria. Geshev, it appears, may need been conscious Kamenov was squealing and wished to repatriate him.
South African authorities knew Kamenov was hiding within the nation as early as April sixth, 2023. Why they did nothing stays unclear.
With Geshev gone it’s tempting to think about we’d lastly see Bulgarian authorities raid OneCoin’s Sofia places of work.
Beneath Geshev’s watch, the $4 billion Ponzi scheme continues to function from the identical places of work Ruja Ignatova ran the rip-off from.
After studying the FBI was after her, Ignatova disappeared in October 2017. The Ponzi aspect of OneCoin died in January 2017 however pyramid recruiting has continued for nearly six years since.
Amanatidis-Taki is a robust contender for who’s in the end pulling the strings at OneCoin’s Sofia workplace. There are rumblings Bulgarian politicians are additionally on the payroll.
So, what occurs now?
Todd Prine, a senior correspondent for RFE/RL Bulgaria writes;
The council’s rushed vote, triggered by a crude comment Geshev made about parliamentarians quite than his actions as prosecutor, was something however a victory for Bulgarian judicial independence and reform, consultants mentioned.
It reeked of political intrigue, which has been on the coronary heart of the judiciary’s — and the nation’s — issues.
Geshev … is unlikely to vanish from Bulgarian political life. In a YouTube assertion on June 19, he mentioned he had resigned as prosecutor-general and hinted that he would enter politics.
There’s undoubtedly much more to this past OneCoin however, so far as BehindMLM goes, that’s our main curiosity Geshev’s downfall.
It’d be nice to see Geshev’s successor open a correct investigation into OneCoin, its ongoing Sofia operations and the plain ties to Amanatidis-Taki.
For now although, I’m cautiously optimistic however not holding my breath.
The interconnectivity between Bulgarian politics and arranged crime developed over a long time. Firing one corrupt prosecutor isn’t going to vary the system in a single day.
