site.btaSofia City Prosecution Office, Anti-Corruption Commission Investigate Organized Crime Group Tied to Historical Park Tourist Attraction

The Sofia City Prosecution Office has carried out a large-scale joint specialized operation with the Anti-Corruption Commission on the territory of the cities of Sofia, Varna, Shumen, Pazardzhik, and the village of Neofit Rilski, the prosecution service reported here on Wednesday.

The investigation concerns circumstances related to the establishment and leadership of an organized criminal group around the Historical Park tourist attraction, active throughout the country in the period from 2013 to 2025 inclusive, the prosecution service said. The group represents a structured and lasting association of three or more persons with the aim of committing coordinated crimes in the country punishable by more than three years’ imprisonment, and was created for profit and to commit offences – embezzlement by officials, fraud, and money laundering.

Velichie Floor Leader Ivelin Mihaylov is the founder of Historical Park. Earlier in the day, he said that his home was searched on Wednesday morning. "In the morning, they entered my home and the homes of all the people I know, some of whom had nothing to do with any of this, but they entered there as well, so they could hit everywhere," Mihaylov says in a video posted on his Facebook profile.

Pre-trial proceedings for a criminal offence were initiated on December 9, 2024 by decree of a prosecutor at the Sofia City Prosecution Office and are being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission under the direction and supervision of the Sofia City Prosecution Office. 

As part of the investigation, at the request of the supervising prosecutor at the Sofia City Prosecution Office, the Sofia City Court has issued 37 warrants for searches and seizures of flats, cars, including personal searches. The actions began today and are continuing at present. Under the direction and supervision of the Sofia City Prosecution Office and with the assistance of numerous officers from the structures of the Interior Ministry, searches are being conducted and physical evidence is being seized. The operation is part of an investigation into organized crime related to corruption.