Parliamentary Hearing: Tsvetan Vasilev Reveals CCB's Massive Financing of Peevski's Media Empire

Tsvetan Vasilev, the former owner of the Corporate Commercial Bank (CCB), claimed that the bank had financed Delyan Peevski's family with approximately 500 million leva until mid-2013. Vasilev made these statements during a hearing before a temporary parliamentary committee investigating the influence of Petyo Petrov, known as Pepi "The Euro," and Martin Bojanov, nicknamed "The Notary."

Vasilev revealed that many of Peevski's family's projects, particularly in the media sector, were funded by CCB under pressure. However, by mid-2013, it became apparent that Peevski had no intention of repaying the loans, which were inadequately secured, prompting the bank to demand additional collateral. Until the fall of 2013, Peevski was a reliable payer, but Vasilev indicated that a different decision was made thereafter, leading to a breakdown in their relationship.

Parallel to this conflict, Vasilev noted that investigative procedures against CCB accelerated, allegedly influenced by Petyo Petrov, who was close to Peevski. Vasilev accused Petrov of being a key participant in the attack on CCB, and stated that Petrov's ex-wife provided American authorities with information about his activities. Vasilev also mentioned that he had first met Petrov through Peevski in 2005-2006.

The hearing took place amid a tense atmosphere, with deputies Hamid Hamid and Stanislav Anastasov, allies of Peevski, attacking committee chairman Nadezhda Yordanova, accusing her of being a puppet and serving Russian interests. They also labeled Vasilev as the "fraudster of the century." Despite these objections, the committee proceeded with Vasilev's testimony.

During the hearing, Vasilev responded to the attacks by accusing the Russian bank VTB of stealing "Vivacom"...