Ministry of Justice Asked the UAE for the Extradition of Vasil Bozhkov

On February 15, 2020, the Ministry of Justice sent the request of the Prosecutor General for the extradition of Vasil Bozhkov to the Bulgarian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The documents translated into Arabic were also sent.

The letter of Minister Danail Kirilov to the UAE Minister of Justice and the extradition documents will be transmitted through diplomatic channels.

Follow-up to the extradition request is entirely the responsibility of the UAE authorities.

11 charges have been filed against Bozhkov, including for leading a criminal group, for blackmail, for attempting to bribe an official, for instigating offenses in the service, for trading with influence, holding and alienating cultural and historical values, which are not properly registered. A separate pre-trial investigation is being conducted against him for coercion, murder and rape. He is also accused of failing to pay over half a billion leva of fees under the Gambling Act since 2014.

Considered to be the wealthiest Bulgarian with assets worth between 1.5 and 3 billion leva, Bozhkov was first charged with leading an organized crime group, coercion, extortion, attempted bribery of an official and incitement to malfeasance in office. Several days later the law-enforcers said they are also probing him for murder and rapes.