site.btaBulgaria, US Step Up Cooperation against Magnitsky Sanctions Evasion

Talking to reporters regarding his visit to the US, the meetings held there, and the sanctions against Bulgarian citizens, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said that the topic of the discussions was that sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act should be effective and that those subject to them should actually have to bear the consequences, rather than circumventing them in a simple manner with the help of others. "We agreed that evidence would be presented and that the federal prosecutor's office would assess whether crimes have been committed," Demerdzhiev added. 

"We have provided information on quite a few people, but we will provide information on even more, because we understand that there is serious interest in identifying those who are attempting to evade sanctions or who are engaging in criminal activity that could be classified as a federal crime under the laws of the United States," he added.

Demerdzhiev explained that Bulgaria has no say in whether the list of sanctioned Bulgarians will be expanded, as this is determined by US institutions. The Interior Ministry is actively working to determine whether any violations or crimes have been committed under Bulgarian law, the Minister noted.

The Bulgarian citizens sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act currently number eight, including Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan Peevski, gambling mogul Vassil Bojkov, and former finance minister of GERB Vladislav Goranov.

Demerdzhiev was on a working visit to the US last week to participate in the conference "The Resurgence of Political Terrorism," organized by the State Department.