site.btaProbe Ordered into Possible Tipoffs Linked to NGO in Petrohan Triple Murder Case

Outgoing Interior Minister Daniel Mitov has ordered a probe into claims reported in the media and online regarding tipoffs about the activities of an NGO styling itself "National Agency for Control of Protected Territories" (NACPT). The work of the relevant Interior Ministry structures in connection with these claims will also be examined and analysed, the Ministry said.

The probe covers the period from 2022 to the present. It will be carried out by the Inspectorate Directorate with the General Directorate National Police, the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime, the General Directorate Border Police, the Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, all regional police directorates nationwide, the Migration Directorate, and other ministry units as needed.

On February 2, three bodies with gunshot wounds were found in a lodge near the Petrohan pass. On the next day, National Police Director Zahari Vaskov told the press that a search was underway for individuals linked to the NGO, whose activity is being investigated.

In 2022, the Environment Ministry signed a framework agreement on environmental protection with the NGO. According to then environment minister Borislav Sandov, the document did not create rights or obligations for either party and had no financial component. On June 26, 2025, the Environment Ministry terminated the agreement unilaterally.

On February 4, Denyo Denev, Chairman of the State Agency National Security (SANS), said that two years ago, SANS conducted a probe into a tipoff from an individual regarding the NGO's activities, which found evidence of criminal activity and sent it to the prosecution. "The tipoff contained allegations of sexual abuse of minors, paramilitary structures using the lodge, and cult-like activities, or rather a deviation from the generally accepted religious beliefs," Denev said.