site.btaJustice Minister Asks for Agency Registration Review amid Mystery Deaths Investigation

Georgi Georgiev, Justice Minister in the outgoing government, has asked the Registry Agency to review the registration of an entity called National Protected Areas Control Agency (NPACA), the Justice Ministry told BTA on Tuesday. NPACA is apparently linked to six mystery deaths which have shocked Bulgarians.

The requested review should cover both the procedure for registering NPACA and a survey of other associations, foundations, and commercial companies whose names include phrases such as “national agency,” “control agency,” or similar titles that could create the impression that their activities relate to the functions of a state authority.

NPACA came into the public eye in connection with the Petrohan case in which six people were found dead — three near a mountain lodge in the Petrohan Pass area and three in a camper van near Okolchitsa Peak. It is claimed that some of the deceased were members of the Agency, and one of them was its leader.

A few days ago, after the first three bodies were found, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov ordered a review of claims published in the media and on the internet concerning tipoffs related to NPACA's activities. The work of the relevant departments of the Interior Ministry will also be examined and analyzed in connection with these claims, Mitov said.