New Document Deepens Suspicions of Links Between Yuliyan Yankov – Kartofa and Svetlozar Lazarov
The agreement was concluded between one of Svetlozar Lazarov’s sons, Kristian Lazarov, and Ina Angelova, who, according to ACF’s information, is the mother of two of Yankov’s children.
On Friday, MoI Secretary General Georgi Kandev said that an attempt had been made to pressure him by a person known by the nickname “Kartofa.” According to Kandev, behind what was happening was a “former senior official at the Ministry of Interior whose first name is Svetlyo.”
Statements by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov and Interior Minister Emil Dechev made clear that “Kartofa” is Yuliyan Yankov, owner of Unit Assist Ltd., who is known by that nickname, while “Svetlyo” is Svetlozar Lazarov, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior from 2013 to 2015.
Unit Assist was at the centre of ACF’s investigation “Roadside Assistance Gone Wrong”, which revealed that Yankov’s company had unlawfully received millions of euros from the state through a scheme involving the illegal subcontracting of so-called free roadside assistance services. The investigation also found that state institutions, including the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) and the Ministry of Interior, had created conditions for Unit Assist to establish a monopoly over roadside assistance services by instructing their employees to direct motorists exclusively to the company.
Evidence of links between Yankov and Lazarov appeared publicly in March. In an anonymous publication, the website eranova.bg published two photographs from meetings between Yankov and Lazarov at the “1119” complex in Sofia’s Studentski Grad district. The complex is owned by Kartofa and, according to ACF sources, the two men met there regularly.
A car deal
A vehicle swap agreement obtained by ACF deepens suspicions of links between former MoI Secretary General Svetlozar Lazarov and Yuliyan Yankov – Kartofa.
The agreement was concluded between one of Svetlozar Lazarov’s sons, Kristian Lazarov, and Ina Angelova, who, according to ACF’s information, is the mother of two of Yankov’s children.
In June 2025, Kristian Lazarov transferred ownership of an Audi A6 passenger car to Ina Angelova and paid an additional BGN 8,000. In exchange, Ina Angelova transferred ownership of a Mercedes passenger car to him.
According to the Commercial Register, Ina Angelova is the manager of Vita Correct Ltd. The company is one of the subcontractors hired by Unit Assist, owned by Kartofa, to provide the so-called “free roadside assistance” service. Angelova is also the manager of the car wash at the “1119” complex, where, according to ACF sources, former MoI Secretary General Svetlozar Lazarov and Yuliyan Yankov frequently met.
The Anti-Corruption Fund sought comments from Svetlozar Lazarov and Yuliyan Yankov, but neither responded to our phone calls. We also attempted to contact Ina Angelova, but the telephone number listed in the Commercial Register turned out to belong to an accounting firm.
Who is Svetlozar Lazarov?
Svetlozar Lazarov’s appointment as Secretary General coincided with the period when Plamen Oresharski’s government was in office. He held the position from 2013 to 2015, after which he became organisational secretary of Volen Siderov’s pro-Russian Ataka party.
According to the NGO BOETS, last summer Lazarov was “put forward” to then Interior Minister Daniel Mitov as a candidate for the post of MoI Secretary General by Delyan Peevski, chairman of DPS – New Beginning.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe last September, former Interior Minister and lecturer at the MoI Academy Prof. Veselin Vuchkov commented that there was no direct evidence of links between Lazarov and Peevski, but that Lazarov’s appointment at the Ministry of Interior coincided with the period when Delyan Peevski “held the post” of chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) for “four days – from Friday to Monday.”
According to media reports, Lazarov also has close ties with Miroslav Rashkov, the recently dismissed MoI Secretary General during Daniel Mitov’s tenure as Interior Minister.
“The evidence of links between Yuliyan Yankov and Svetlozar Lazarov, as well as the suspicions that the latter provided protection for the activities of Unit Assist, must be investigated by the competent authorities. This may hold the answer to the question ACF has been asking for more than a month: how and why was Yuliyan Yankov – Kartofa’s Unit Assist chosen by the state to provide ‘free roadside assistance’?” Boyko Stankushev commented.