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"What we heard from the chairman of DANS, Mr. Tonchev, is that DANS has received a report under the Anti-Money Laundering Measures Act, which means that a Bulgarian bank or other financial institution has reported a transfer that seems suspicious to them "I was surprised that the prosecutor's office said it was cooperating with an international investigation, but it turned out to be a Bulgarian investigation, started by a tip from a Bulgarian financial institution."

This is what the co-chairman of "We continue the change" told journalists

Kiril Petkov and Asen Vassilev presented their political project "We continue the change"" Asen Vassilev

Asen Vassilev was the Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism from March 12 to May 29, 2013. By decree, in response to the statement by the head of the National Security Agency that the investigation into the "Nexo" case had already begun in July following a tip from a Bulgarian financial institution.

Vassilev added that even a transfer of BGN 50, if it looks suspicious according to the risk assessment of the relevant institution, it reports to the National Tax Service.

"Hundreds of thousands of such reports are filed every year, and there is a special financial intelligence unit in the National Security Agency that deals with these reports," he noted and added that the entire investigation was triggered by such a report.

The head of DANS about Nexo: They bought properties here and abroad with money from the turnover

Vasilev commented that it is very likely that this translation was sent abroad. 

Vasilev noted that the Law on Measures Against Money Laundering is aimed at transactions, sending transfers.

"If they see a large withdrawal in cash or a transaction to entities that do not seem normal to the bank, they consider it to be a risk, it is normal to submit such a signal to DANS, and accordingly financial intelligence in DANS processes these signals on a regular basis and if they find something wrong, they start an investigation," the former finance minister also announced.

"That any suspicion of money laundering should be investigated is absolutely normal and DANS should do it and does it on a regular basis. You know what a scandal happened when it turned out that 50 million was withdrawn on the Hemus highway in heard. Reports were made to DANS, but DANS did not react. Then also reports were made under the Anti-Money Laundering Measures Act, but DANS did not react so quickly, so every such report should be investigated and accordingly, if someone has broken the law, there is money laundering, etc., he has to bear the consequences. This is proven in court," Vassilev added.

Regarding the donations to Democratic Bulgaria, he said: "They were not even the subject of the alert. What became clear is that the alert was from 2021, the alert was filed in July 2022, so the donations were made about a year maybe before the report was filed. They were made public, if there was something wrong, either the prosecutor's office or DANS had to self-report".

"So far, in my opinion, the commission has been useful because it has come out with facts that are not exactly what the prosecutor's office told us. In my opinion, if the prosecutor's office also comes and questions are asked, maybe more facts and circumstances will come out that will illuminate what really happened", Vasilev believes and emphasized that as a first point today, the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev should have been heard in the temporary commission related to the "Nexo" case, but he did not appear, quoted by BGNES.

Asen Vassilev

We continue the change

Nexo