Gambling mogul arrested at Sofia airport
Vasil Bozhkov is said to be according to consensus media reports were arrested at Sofia airport. First he will be held and interrogated for 72 hours.
“His motives for returning are to clear his name in court.” – Lawyer for Vasil Bozhkov, Editorial Network United Kingdom
Bozhkov was long considered the richest Bulgarian, with an estimated fortune of around 1.4 billion euros. He owned numerous casinos, the Levski Sofia football club and various other companies. He also owned the country's largest Instant lottery, which was very popular among Bulgarians.
An arrest warrant was issued against him in 2020: He was accused of property crimes and was charged with seven counts. His company premises are said to have been searched and some employees arrested. In addition, its Instant lottery was nationalized.
The public prosecutor's office said in a statement at the time that Bozhkov owed the state more than 250 million euros in taxes from his gambling companies, including his casinos. He owned the Casino Hemus in Sofia. He is said to have smuggled the proceeds past the state with an accomplice from the national gambling regulator.
When the authorities wanted to arrest Bozhkov, he was said to have already fled to Dubai. Shortly after his escape, an international arrest warrant was issued against him, after which Bozhkov is said to have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and spent some time in custody.
The rapid rise of Wassil Bozhkov
Bozhkov started his career as an entrepreneur in 1991: At that time, he founded his first gaming company together with two partners. Together they opened casinos in Sofia, which became very popular in a very short time. They owned the casino in the Hotel Rila as well as the Radisson SAS and the Hemus. In the years that followed, he continued to expand his company and even owned a credit bank.
In 1993, for example, Bozhkov founded a sports betting company before buying the CSKA Sofia football club in 1999. After selling it again in 2006, he acquired the Levski Sofia club in 2019. He also founded a foundation for the search and preservation of Bulgarian antiquities, was chairman of the Bulgarian Federation of Sports Shooters and the Bulgarian Chess Federation.
He is said to have earned a lot through his own companies and investments in other companies. Experts assume that his assets amount to 1 to 3 billion leva (around 500 million to 1.5 billion euros).
Involvement in political scandals
Bozhkov is said to have had contacts with many important people in Bulgaria and around the world. In recent years he is said to have been involved in several political scandals in his home country.
In Bulgaria, for example, there were violent demonstrations against the country's leadership in 2020. Many people took to the streets and protested against corruption in the country. The government accused Bozhkov, who was already in Dubai at the time, of being the mastermind behind the protests.
The Bulgarian leadership even published recordings of Bozhkov's phone calls as evidence. In these he is said to have announcedigt that he wanted to lead the protests from a headquarters.
In 2022, Bozhkov is also said to have made an official statement against former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. He accused the former president of blackmailing him and being corrupt. Borissov was arrested by authorities a short time later, interrogated and detained for 24 hours. How this case developed is not yet known.
Vasil Bozhkov is now said to have been charged with a total of 20 counts. It remains to be seen whether he will remain in custody and when he will have to appear in court.
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