site.btaInterior Ministry Checking Reports That Petyo Petrov Has Been Detained in Belgrade, Minister Dechev Says

Speaking to reporters on Monday, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said that the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria can neither confirm nor deny reports that former investigator Petyo "The Euro" Petrov has been detained in Belgrade. Dechev was attending a ceremony in Sofia marking the delivery of new equipment to the Interior Ministry’s Border Police General Directorate.

Dechev said that Bulgarian authorities have already contacted their counterparts in Belgrade to verify the information. He added that the information will be made public once it is officially confirmed.

Petrov, a lawyer in private practice, headed the investigation department of the Sofia City Prosecution Office in 2013-2015 and is alleged to have played a key role in various corrupt schemes. He is a key figure in the Eight Dwarfs investigation into trade in influence and theft of companies in the judiciary and was charged in the case together with his ex-wife Lyubena Petrova and prosecutor Dilyan Deyanov. As part of the same pre-trial proceedings, Petar Petrov is wanted by Europol and the Schengen Information System.