The Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas – Vladimir Marinov celebrated the birthday of Nikolay Filipov – Niki the Customs Officer in 2023 in the company of Martin Bozhanov – the Notary and Georgi Kostov – former Director of the Customs Agency and former Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. Синът на Владимир Маринов пък си купил невероятно изгодно жилище от фирма на Филипов. Два три месеца преди разстрела на Божанов, Филипов наел квартира в близост до адреса на Нотариуса в кв. “Горна баня” в София. Това се вижда от извлечения от черната каса на Митничаря, в която Божанов е обозначен с псевдонима Мики Маус.
Based on memories and photographs of Valentin Karavalchev – a witness and former partner of Filipov, the birthday celebration of Niki the Customs Officer in 2023 was held at the Strimon Garden Hotel in Kyustendil. The party lasted several days.
The phone number (with the last digits deleted) from which the photos from Niki the Customs Officer’s party were sent belongs to Vladimir Marinov – Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas. In the enlarged photo at the top right you can see Ayhan Ünal (Bulgarian name Bilyan Velev) – the Turkish partner in the export of metals and a formal creditor of “Hades NM” to the Notary, the shares of which are the subject of a dispute between his heirs .
I don’t remember. I don’t know him.
Our team sought a comment from Kostov and Marinov. Strangely, it turned out that both of them do not remember whether they were at this party.
Georgi Kostov said that he has been retired for a long time. We saw in this statement the thesis that he is practically free to go to celebrate wherever he sees fit.
Vladimir Marinov said that he did not know Martin Bozhanov and if they were at the same event, it was a coincidence. It is curious, however, how he treats the pending investigation in the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas against Nikolay Filipov, provided that he goes to the birthdays of the businessman, and his own son has bought a home from him at a price below the tax assessment.
Non-accidental career
It is alleged that there was tension and hostility between Ilkov and his predecessor throughout the ministerial term of Kalin Stoyanov. Today Stoyanov is ” the Rising Star” of the led by Delyan Peevski MRF – A New Beginning. This fact does not surprise anyone, because Stoyanov, in his capacity as Interior Minister, repeated Peevski’s theses verbatim.
Despite the tension, after taking office caretaker Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov did not realize the expected avalanche of shifts in the regional directorates in the country. With their posts, Stoyan Temelakiev and Hristo Stefanov – Deputy Ministers of the Interior, Dimitar Andonov as Director of the Gendarmerie Directorate and Dimitar Kangaldzhiev as Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. For the time being, the Director of the Internal Security Directorate – Lazar Valentinov Hristov remains in his post, who is considered extremely trusted by Ilkov’s predecessor – Kalin Stoyanov.
the only regional director of the Ministry of Interior, who was replaced by Atanas Ilkov. He took over as senior commissioner from Emil Pavlov – now former Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas. On the one hand, Pavlov is considered extremely close to Kalin Stoyanov
And there is some logic in his substitution. On the other hand, however, he was replaced by Marinov, under whose expert leadership Kalin Stoyanov was formed as an anti-mafia. And Marinov is considered close to Stoyanov.
From the reference on the website of the Ministry of Interior, we learn that Marinov started from the Regional Administration in Nessebar. At the beginning of the new millennium, he moved to the General Directorate “Combating Organized Crime” at the Ministry of Interior, and in 2009 he was appointed Head of the Department for Combating Organized Crime – Burgas at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. It was there that Stoyanov’s boss was. Since 2015. is Deputy Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior – Burgas. In 2018, he was appointed Head of the Fifth District Department – Burgas, and from there he was sent as Head of the Regional Department in Ruen. Allegedly, he left the post of deputy. Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior – Burgas after numerous signals against him in the “Internal Security” and the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Interior. According to acquaintances, the then head of the Internal Security Sector in Burgas, Miroslav Ivanov, was very close to Vladimir Marinov. Subsequently, Miroslav Ivanov was among the few employees of the State Internal Affairs Service who were dismissed from the system.
In September 2020, Vladimir Marinov returned to Burgas as head of the First District Department, where he worked for about four years. After the arrival of Atanas Ilkov as caretaker Interior Minister, Marinov became the head of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas.
Under one roof
What is the real reason for this single personnel castling in the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas, we can only guess. However, it definitely does not seem to be the fight against the bought vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. At the moment, one of the mentioned by the Elfs as the main dealer of votes in the Burgas region, for the MRF New Beginning of Delyan Peevski, is Nikolay Filipov, also known as “Niki the Customs Officer” or “The Quail“.
However, the person in question is considered extremely close to Vladimir Marinov, who now has the priority task of counteracting the ugly phenomenon with the bought vote. At least in words. There is much more to their relationship than rumors.
Before Christmas, on December 20, 2017, the company “Build Invest 08“, which was then the sole property of Nikolay Filipov Filipov, sold a home to Plamen Vladimirov Marinov. He is the son of a senior commissioner Vladimir Petkov Marinov – Current Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas. Filipov sells a luxury apartment in the district. Lazur of 102 sq.m., with over 17 sq.m. terrace that does not fit into those 102 sq.m. living area, which has a tax assessment of BGN 135,395. for the amount of BGN 91,650.
At that time, such a property was traded on the free market at prices of 1300-1500 euros per square meter. This means that the price of the home should be at least about 150,000 euros or almost 300,000 levs. However, Plamen Marinov acquired the property under a tax assessment and well below its market value.
The deal was concluded by his proxy – Nikolay Todorov Nikolov. Той е познат още като Nicky the Beard and is considered extremely close to the seller Nikolay Filipov. According to our information, between 2005 and 2024, Nikolov worked for ” Alsi 08” – Filipov’s company, as a warehouse manager. Nikolov is authorized to represent “Alsi 08” before “UniCredit Leasing”, ” Delta-In” for a specific property, “Golden Class 2004” again in front of “UniCredit Leasing” and in general to operate with the company’s assets.
The powers of attorney with which Nikolay Filipov – the Customs Officer empowers Nikolay Nikolov – the Beard are dozens. Valentin Karavalchev, a former partner of Filipov, also authorized Nikolay Nikolov. In fact, the former partners Filipov and Karavalchev have been using Nikolov as their proxy since 2009.
An extremely curious question is how Plamen Vladimirov Marinov decided to authorize Niki the Beard to finalize his purchase from Filipov’s company. For “Build Invest 08” the deal was concluded by Martin Ivanov Semerdzhiev, which is associated with 31 companies. In many of them, the owner is Nikolay Filipov.
There is a hypothesis that in fact this apartment was a gift to Vladimir Marinov through his son and the transaction was concluded in order to give rise to a transfer effect, but subsequently the money from the bank transfer was returned to the payer. Even if this is not the case, however, the price at which the deal is confessed is unrealistically low and raises suspicions of dependencies.
Another very important point is that the building in which Plamen Vladimirov Marinov – the son of Vladimir Marinov acquired a home is the same in which Nikolay Filipov – Niki the Customs Officer live, his partner Valentin Karavalchev and their most trusted circle. A person associated with the MRF also lived there Plamen Naydenov, who was Filipov’s lawyer and one of Filipov’s accountants. The building is something like ” private club“, in which only those close to Niki the Customs Officer (the Quail) were allowed.
Umbrella over Port Europe
Vladimir Marinov is far from the only employee of the Ministry of Interior who is connected with this building through ownership. When Marinov’s son acquired the property at the end of 2017, his father seemed useless to Filipov, but only 2 years later the policeman became the head of the 1st police station in Burgas, it is claimed not without the help of Niki the Customs Officer. This is an extremely important police station for Filipov and Karavalchev, because under his district is located Port of Europe.
The port is clearly a key element of Filipov’s infrastructure. The motive for the smuggling that took place through this port surfaced in connection with the work of the parliamentary committee on the death of Martin Bozhanov – Notary. Детайлите са огласени през ефира на БНТ от генерал Атанас Атанасов, който states:
“An interrogation was published in the pre-trial proceedings of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office on July 3, 2023, the interrogation of the former head of internal security of the Ministry of Interior, Stefcho Bankov, brother of the detained Bankova. In this interrogation, he refers to two pre-trial proceedings that have been initiated against an unknown person, but concern Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov. One of these pre-trial proceedings is for the fact that he has placed himself in a secret apartment, which is an absolute crime. And another pre-trial proceeding for the connection of Kalin Stoyanov with Nikolay Filipov, the so-called. Niki the Customs Officer, with a private customs downstairs in Burgas. Let the prosecutor’s office show these cases, let’s see what they are.”
The testimony of the former head of the Internal Security Directorate in the Ministry of Interior – Stefcho Bankov was published from the Anti-Corruption Fund. It is clear from them that Kalin Stoyanov is being investigated for patronizing a smuggling channel, and probably for drug trafficking. According to our information, the case was led by the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, in the time before Kalin Stoyanov headed this service. Probably, when Lyubomir Yanev was the head there. This would largely explain the strained relations between him and Stoyanov. To make the situation even more tense, it was Stoyanov and the director of the Directorate of Internal Affairs appointed by him, Lyubomir Todorov Nikolov, who exposed the former director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Yanev as a contact of the “Notary”. Yanev was probably the last leading officer of Martin Bozhanov before his death. Obviously, Kalin Stoyanov and Lyubomir Nikolov had a good reason to “throw” their former head from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime under the spotlight.
Anyway, the acquaintance of Bozhanov and Nikolay Filipov is a notorious fact. However, are there any witnesses to confirm that Kalin Stoyanov also knew Niki the Customs Officer? According to Valentin Karavalchev, the relationship between Stoyanov and Filipov dates back several years. They were introduced by Vladimir Marinov – current director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Burgas.
Major voter
Undoubtedly, together and separately, albeit to varying degrees, Bankov’s testimony, the statement of Gen. Atanasov and Karavalchev’s memoirs clearly justify the relationship between Filipov and Kalin Stoyanov.
At this stage, our team has no information that Nikolay Filipov or Kalin Stoyanov have refuted the allegations of Gen. Atanas Atanasov for an investigation, albeit conducted against an unknown perpetrator, in connection with unregulated contacts between them. On the other hand, according to “The Bulgarian Elves” Niki Mitnicharya (The Quail) is among the main brokers of votes who work for the MRF “New Beginning” of Delyan Peevski in the Burgas region. According to cyber activists:
“The main role is assigned to Nikolay Filipov – the Customs Officer. A minimum of 5000 votes for Burgas and about 15000 more votes throughout the country have been promised. “
As is well known, Kalin Stoyanov is second in the list of MRF “New Beginning” in Burgas. This also, at least indirectly, confirms the connection between them. However, the most disturbing line that seems to connect Filipov and Stoyanov is Martin Bozhanov – the Notary.
As is well known, Filipov is an obvious partner with Bozhanov in the Greek company Hades NM. In the previous part of this investigation, we told you about the signals that Maria Bozhanova – daughter of Martin Bozhanov – has sent to the competent authorities in connection with threats to her life and health, which she received around the distributed assets of her late father. The most serious threat to her, according to her, was caused by the shares in “Hades NM”:
On bTV: “Mr. Filipov had sent a letter saying that my father was not a co-owner of the land with him and we were not heirs. That he was the sole owner of the land, and that with the death of my father, my father’s participation came to an end under Greek law, since he had thus been appointed governor. Suddenly, I receive an invitation to pay 80,000 euros and that in fact my father is a co-owner and we are heirs. I decided to do my own research on where this money came from, because I know from my father that he paid for the land. I sent a second signal about the company that allegedly gave the loan to their Greek company Hades – the Bulgarian company Agro Fert. Which is his company through dummies. (…) I sent my signal to the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas, because the persons involved are Mr. Filipov, Jeni Avramova, Maria Ganeva, Bilyan Velev. These are all his dummies, employees who are from Burgas.”
In connection with Maria Bozhanov’s statements, the Notary’s widow – Gergana Bozhanova – also took a stand. She called us to declare that BIRD.BG was a “bought media” if she had reflected the allegations and signals of Maria Bozhanova. However, when we asked the investigating policeman from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Bozhanova how she got the phone of a member of our team and whether by chance the number was given to her by Nikolay Filipov (he was contacted for comment by the same number), she interrupted the conversation. In the previous part, we said that according to Valentin Karavalchev, Bozhanov and Filipov were hidden co-owners
and at the Strimon Garden Hotel in Kyustendil, where the party with the presence of police chiefs took place. Bozhanov’s share in the hotel was his consideration for the terminated investigation against Nikolay Filipov – Niki the Customs Officer from 2020.
The investigation is being conducted by the closed Specialized Prosecutor’s Office under number SPP-01750/2020. It is for crimes against the fisk. On May 9, 2023, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Burgas terminated the criminal proceedings against Filipov, which were conducted under number 419/2022 according to the inventory of the District Prosecutor’s Office – Burgas. Burgas. As most often happens in such cases, Filipov attacks the prosecutor’s act in connection with the grounds for termination of the criminal proceedings against him. In court, he was represented by the lawyer Kristian Metodiev Mirchev, who claimed that the termination of the accusation against Filipov due to lack of evidence was illegal, but in fact there was no evidence of a crime. Judge Yani Gaidurliev accepted Filipov’s arguments and amended the grounds for terminating the investigation against Filipov. This is how inglorious for the state prosecution ends this criminal prosecution.
Kalin Stoyanov is a suspectthat he had provided information to Bozhanov in connection with the initiation of an investigation against him on the signal of Ivayla Bakalova. Separately, it is alleged that he stretched an “umbrella” over Nikolay Filipov. In practice, the witness testimonies and the facts show that before the shooting of Martin Bozhanov, a situation emerged in which he, Nikolay Filipov and Kalin Stoyanov were three people with complex relationships, people who could also be defined as an organized criminal group.
But why does businessman Nikolay Filipov need protection from the Ministry of Interior and a “broker” of justice like Martin Bozhanov? Officially, he is engaged in the purchase of scrap metal – non-ferrous and ferrous metals and is a farmer. In general, he should be a rich and influential bright businessman. Valentin Damyanov Karavalchev – a former friend and partner of Nikolay Filipov, testified that corruption, smuggling and fraud were the main activities around which the relations between Nikolay Filipov, Martin Bozhanov and various high-ranking police officers from local and national level developed.
The Witness and the Offshore Companies
Valentin Karavalchev himself claims to be a former partner and partner of the “oligarch” Nikolay Filipov. He describes him as an extremely influential person who controlled the gang of the “Redheads” in Burgas for some time. Niki the Customs Officer (the Quail) even planned to implement his own political project.
Karavalchev and Filipov started their joint scrap metal business 26 years ago. Before that, they ran a disco together in Burgas. According to many, Karavalchev was only a proxy for “The Quail”, but he himself went beyond that they were real partners. Over time, they developed the activity, bought bases, sites for non-ferrous and ferrous metals and even ships. For a long time they used the port of Port Europe for rent.
“A few years ago, this port was purchased by a company backed by Nikolay Filipov with a loan from UniCredit Bulbank. It was purchased by a company ( Excel Recycling), which is represented by our partner from Turkey – he has Turkish and Bulgarian citizenship – Ayhan, respectively Bilyan Velev. But this is absolutely fictitious. Initially, Excel Recycle was established by Nikolay Filipov, but later it was transferred to Ayhan Unal, known in Bulgaria as Bilyan Velev.
In the last year and a half or two, the relations between Filipov and Karavalchev have become strained. Around May 10, 2024, one of the chief accountants, Maria Ganeva, went to Karavalchev to sign a “strange contract” in connection with an apartment hotel that she and Filipov built in Sunny Beach.
“A year ago, my colleague decided to sell it at 500-600 euros per square meter. It was the only asset that was kept in my name at the time. I have never been a supporter of the hotel business. This is not a good business for me, especially on the Black Sea coast. I decided that he was selling in order to get rid of it and not accumulate more losses. When the accountant came, she gave me to sign a contract, which I looked at, that my name was present, and that my colleague was also present. And there are companies that are under his control – Stradon ( Stradon Foreign Trade S.A.), “Alsi 8” etc. I asked what is this? ” Well, here we are arranging some assignments between Nikolay’s companies” and I signed. While I was signing, I asked how the annual closing was and which company would be at what profit. Then Maria Ganeva told him: “Well, we are almost ready, we are waiting only for those companies through which we do the scrap business. These companies are fine, they have a big profit, but they also have big debts.”
Karavalchev is surprised that he has obligations and asks to whom they are. It turns out that they are part of “Agro Fert”, “Alsi 8″ and companies that are directly subordinate or owned by Nikolay Filipov. It turned out that one of his companies – ” Camex Rail Trans owes 20 million, another – Topmetal Commerce” to 3 million, and as a sole proprietor (ET) over 1.5 million. In the latter subject of commercial law, Karavalchev is responsible with all his property.
“At that moment, I realized that buying goods on a daily basis, covering an increasing volume of customers and goods, I bought all this with borrowed money. From my colleague. He did not understand non-ferrous metals, neither customers nor types, I mainly concluded internal or external contracts with clients. He kept the ferrous metals for himself, but the part that concerns exports – the contracts are between his offshore company Stradon Foreign Trade and the Turkish factories where we sold the iron. When my company sells a ship, they and the chief accountant – Zheni Avramova declare one quantity (understated), the captain changes the documents with the real quantity at sea and this is done through my company, which is a ship agent. My company is a tenant of this ship, guess who the owner is? Nikolay Filipov! As well as all the properties we had – bases, sites for purchase. He turned out to be the owner, I was only a tenant.”
Karavalchev explains that he exported the metals through his own companies, but the payment from the Turkish factories was to Stradon Foreign Trade S.A., an offshore company registered in Belize, which Karavalchev claims is ultimately owned by Nikolay Filipov.
“As it has already become clear, if the capacity of a ship is 2,000 tons, 1,000 or 1,100 tons are declared to the authorities.”
Valentin Karavalchev’s companies received payment for the goods from Stradon Foreign Trade S.A. The offshore company acts as an intermediary. It receives the metals and sells them to Turkish factories, then pays for the declared quantities to Karavalchev’s companies. With the undeclared, the situation was different. “Stradon” logically receives payment from Turkish buyers for them as well. The value of these sold metals is transferred from the offshore company to another company owned by Nikolay Filipov. Thus, the final transfer to Karavalchev’s companies for undeclared exports comes from Agro Fert or Alsi 8, he says. However, the transfers were declared not as income, but as financial assistance. Thus, by receiving payment for the smuggled metals, Valentin Karavalchev’s companies actually generated liabilities to the legal entities of Nikolay Filipov.
For Karavalchev, the glass overflowed when Maria Bozhanova contacted him. From it, he found out and received documents that he was authorized as a manager of the offshore company Stradon Foreign Trade S.A.
“Despite the fact that I do not have access to bank accounts in Turkey and to anything, I de facto do this – I am harming myself as a proxy of Stradon Foreign Trade by transferring money to Agro Fert so that they can give it to me later, as a loan.”
For her part, Maria Bozhanova claims that her father also operated through Filipov’s offshore companies.
“Before I met Mr. Karavalchev, I had received information that my father’s money, Martin, had passed through Mr. Filipov’s offshore companies. In the course of my personal investigation, I came across a power of attorney authorizing Mr. Karavalchev as director of Stradon Foreign Trade. When we met, he didn’t know that he was authorized as a director of this company.”
Mickey Mouse, Red Dress and Joro Kostov in the black box of the Customs Officer
After Valentin Karavalchev realized that he had been used, he took out extracts from the “black box” by Nikolay Filipov. There are payments to Mickey Mouse. Мария Божанова коментира:
“My dad used to put a picture of Mickey Mouse on the apps. Only on Viber there was a photo of him. He and I jokingly called each other Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. In the statements, we see that Mickey Mouse in month 11 of 2023, month 12 – 2023, month 1 ends – BGN 30,000.”
“In one of the places he wrote a descent Marty – BGN 10,000. – my father’s funeral. He didn’t hide his name there.”
Again from the extracts, we learn that Nikolay Filipov rented an apartment in the area of Gorna Banya in Sofia at the end of 2023.
It is interesting that there are regular payments to “Ecological Pumpkin”. Ежемесечни плащания са в размер на 50 000 евро или 100 000 лева. Когато в месеца липсва “Екологична тиква” се появява Чоко, който получава плащане в същия размер. Боко от едноименния екип на Чоко и Боко обаче не е споменаван. Сходна е ситуацията с “Червена рокля” (вероятно евфемизъм за червена тога), но там плащанията не са регулярни. Има плащане към лице, което се нарича Костов или Жоро Костов. По случайност това са имената и един бивш директор на ОД МВР Бургас.
Fuel smuggling
After receiving evidence that he had been deceived, Karavalchev filed a report with the Ministry of Interior about the smuggling of fuel, which Nikolay Filipov – Niki the Customs Officer realized. Karavalchev describes the scheme in detail.
“When ships from Turkey enter the port, tanks filled to the maximum of 100-110 tons come. On the pier of the port of Europe, where I am a tenant, with the help of my company – a ship agent ” Euro Agent” or “Valmar Oil” – one of the two, where Zheni Avramova is the chief accountant, declared to the customs that the ship included X number of eggs, X kilograms of meat, tomatoes and cucumbers and a certain amount of ship fuel. But these ship declarations indicate quantities in the order of 15, 20, 26 tons. In rare cases, 30 tons of fuel. The pier is equipped with hidden pipelines that go to cisterns. This is done under the guise of purification of Santine waters.”
Practically along every course to Turkey, Niki the Customs Officer managed to bring in about 55-75 tons of smuggled diesel. These are from 2 to 3 tanker trucks. And ships docked every week.
From the tanks at the port, the fuel was loaded through illegally built installations in tank trucks. At the port there is a cabin with a “gun” for loading the tanks.
Since part of the fuel was “lost” along the “route”, Niki the Customs Officer began to monitor and record the process with drones. The photos that our team publishes are part of this tracking.
Nikolay Filipov – The Customs Officer Built with His Acquaintances – Some of Toshko and Rusinka, its own “chain” of several gas stations. There he sold the smuggled fuel. According to Karavalchev’s signal, Completed operation at the port of Port Europe and dozens of tons (probably about 50) of smuggled fuel were seized. For Karavalchev, this operation is the explanation why the head of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas – Emil Pavlov – was abruptly replaced. It is alleged that because of the realization in question, the relationship between Pavlov and Kalin Stoyanov strained, although during the years the two were extremely close.
Lead photo: Nikolay Filipov – Niki the Customs Officer (right) against the background of the illegal tankers in Port Europe, a facsimile (left) of a certificate of the offshore company Stradon Foreign Trade S.A. Collage: BIRD.BG
Материалът “Umbrella” from the Ministry of Interior: Senior Police Officers at a Party with the Notary and Niki the Customs Officer е публикуван за пръв път на BIRD.
