ACF calls on the Interior Ministry for an internal investigation into whether there was informal protection over the accused Georgi Semerdjiev

The person accused of the serious accident is a witness in a key case against an organized criminal group with 44 participants headed by Radmil Ranov

The Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) sent for verification to the Internal Security Directorate of the Ministry of Interior the information on the detention and release of Georgi Semerdjiev, accused participant in the serious traffic accident from the late hours of 5 July 2022, on the “Cherni Vrah” boulevard in Sofia. According to several official sources, such as the Traffic Police and the National Investigation Service, although he was declared wanted, Semerdzhiev was detained and then released by police patrols on the territory of Sofia City.

The suspicions are about Semerdzhiev’s protection in connection with his status as a witness in one of the key drug trafficking cases – the one against Radmil Ranov, “Radi Laneza,” considered a drug boss. The information about Semerdzhiev’s witness status was leaked yesterday by investigative journalist Dimitar Stoyanov, who quoted his sources. 

From our sources, we confirm this: Semerdzhiev was a witness and gave testimony at the pre-trial phase of the criminal proceedings under prosecutor’s case No. 53/2017, according to the inventory of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office, pre-trial proceedings No. 1/2018, according to the inventory of the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime – Ministry of Interior, against an organized criminal group for the distribution of narcotic substances. The group consists of 40 participants and 4 leaders, including Ranov. The indictment in the case was drafted on 23 March 2020 and is currently being heard before the Specialized Criminal Court.

The fact that Semerdzhiev is a witness in such a key proceeding of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office itself leads to the undoubted conclusion that he is more than well known to the authorities. In this light, the already worrying circumstances surrounding his personality become even more worrying: he was unsuccessfully declared wanted by the state in another case but was found immediately the day after the accident; he was stopped by police officers less than a month ago after using drugs, only to have his driving license revoked; he was driving his car on central metropolitan boulevards with his signal lights on. 

All this raises serious doubts about alleged protection, which could also be explained by his testimony against the group in question. Whether this is the case can indeed only be speculated at the moment. Precisely because of the serious doubts surrounding the person’s status, we call on the prosecution and the Ministry of the Interior to be as transparent as possible.