Balgarianovinite.com In a televised interview on bTV on Sunday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev commented on the Petrohan case. He expressed the hope that there will be an international investigation “so that the pieces can be put together objectively, we can see what happened, and the public can be reassured.”
What has become known as the Petrohan case is a high-profile criminal case in which five men and a 15-year-old boy met a violent death between February 1 and 8. Their bodies were found in two remote mountain locations in Northwestern Bulgaria: a lodge near the Petrohan Pass and a camper van near Okolchitsa Peak. Forensic experts established that all six died of gunshot wounds. Law enforcement officials said the principal leads they followed, based on ballistics findings, are homicide succeeded by suicide or suicide only. The deceased were associated with a non-governmental conservation group called National Protected Areas Control Agency (NPACA), to which the Mayor of Sofia has donated money.
When asked how he would react if it were ever proven that this group had committed the crimes that have been reported, Terziev called for an international investigation to be conducted first and added that anyone can make mistakes in their judgment. “Let us learn from our mistakes and not judge others too harshly,” he urged.
Terziev explained that he had donated personal funds to a cause that he believed would be good for Bulgaria. “No one has called yet,” Terziev said in response to a question about whether he had been summoned to testify and explain the circumstances under which he made the donation. “This raises the question of why we are being given information in dribs and drabs and why the institutions are not giving us a clear chronology of what happened and when,” Terziev added, asking why, if the State Agency for National Security knew about the group, they did nothing.
Asked about the calls for his resignation because of his donation to the nongovernmental organization, Terziev said that it did not do them credit, because those calling for his resignation were trying to exploit every tragedy politically. “It even leads me to file a lawsuit against them, because they are crossing all lines” he added.
Terziev spoke about his acquaintance with the six people whose bodies were found near the Petrohan Lodge and Okolchitsa Peak. In his words, in the fall of 2022, he met Ivaylo Kalushev, Ivaylo Ivanov, Plamen Statev, and Decho Vasilev, staying overnight at the lodge, and his impression of them was positive. There were no other guests at the lodge at the time. “I saw a very close-knit group of people who had spent many years together and obviously knew each other very well,” Terziev added. When asked if there were young men and children in their company, Terziev said that he had seen the children Alexander and Nikolay some time later, in the summer. “I was impressed that the two children read a wide range of books, including in English,” he added. It became clear that Nikolay lived there, but Terziev did not get the impression that Alexander lived there permanently.
Terziev made his donation a year after they met, when they asked him for it, explained what they needed the money for, and specified the amount. “When you make a donation or investment, you have to be sure that it is good enough to deserve your attention,” he added. When asked if he had donated funds to other non-governmental organizations with a similar focus, he confirmed that he had made such donations.
When asked how he explains the fact that the donations declared by the organization are significantly smaller than the amounts actually received, Terziev suggested that this is because the amount was transferred to Ivaylo Ivanov, not to the NPACA, as requested. Terziev noted that he had asked why the donation was made to a personal account, but the answer had been satisfactory. “If I were a paranoid person who always looked for reasons not to give, I would hardly donate at all. People project onto the world what comes from within,” he added.
Terziev also said that he had never seen weapons in the lodge and that he had not seen any of the six armed. The question is who issued the weapons permits, Terziev asked. “I felt traumatized and felt sorry for the relatives of the victims,” Terziev said, describing his reaction to the news of the six violent deaths. Sofia Mayor Hopes for International Investigation into Petrohan Case 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-15 19:56:56 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law