The person alleged to have ordered the homicide of Lyubomir Ivanov, former head of the felony division of Bulgaria’s nationwide police, was murdered in South Africa final week.
Krassimir “Kuro” Nikolaev Kamenov, who has an Interpol pink discover out on him, was “shot lifeless in Cape City, South Africa.”
Kamenov’s spouse and two different victims have been all gunned down within the residence the household was staying in.
Shortly earlier than 8:30 within the morning. 4 our bodies with gunshot wounds have been present in a home in Cape City. All aged between 40 and 50.
The second lady shot lifeless is believed to be their housekeeper and the identification of the opposite man is being clarified.
To recap, Lyubomir Ivanov was murdered in March 2022. The person who pulled the set off and an confederate have already been recognized and charged in Bulgaria.
Following his homicide, paperwork have been present in Ivanov’s private secure which implicated Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki in an alleged 2018 plot to homicide OneCoin’s Ruja Ignatova at sea.
Based mostly on what’s publicly recognized at time of publication, I’m not satisfied that’s how Ignatova died (assuming she is in actual fact lifeless, which is very possible).
Nonetheless, Kamenov’s loss of life is fairly suspicious.
Dimitar Stoyanov, a BIRD journalist who broke the unique 2018 Ignatova homicide plot story, claims
Kamenov had given proof earlier than a overseas jurisdiction within the final six months “in reference to key felony instances with a world component”.
There is no such thing as a info whether or not they’re associated to the OneCoin crypto-pyramid and the investigations into the laundering of a whole lot thousands and thousands of {dollars} by this scheme led by US authorities.
Kamenov had solely not too long ago been charged with Ivanov’s loss of life in March 2023. That very same month he was additionally indicted as a part of a conspiracy in opposition to Bulgarian Legal professional Basic Ivan Geshev.
Geshev’s workplace additionally not too long ago opened an investigation into Stoyanov and fellow BIRD journalist Atanas Tchobanov.
To help his claims and body himself as a sufferer, Geshev’s Workplace is believed to have staged an assassination try a number of weeks after the March bulletins have been made.
Geshev’s pursuit of BIRD’s journalists is in lockstep with six defamation lawsuits filed by Razmig Kerope “Ami” Chakaryan (proper).
Chakaryan filed swimsuit on behalf of Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki, in retaliation for reporting on the alleged 2018 Ignatova homicide plot.
Amanatidis-Taki, who had enterprise dealings with Onecoin and Ignatova, is a central determine in Bulgarian organized crime.
Amanatidis-Taki was needed by Bulgarian authorities, however prosecutors dropped drug-related felony fees in opposition to him in 2015.
“Taki”, as he’s recognized, is believed to at the moment be hiding out in Dubai. He stays a central determine in Bulgarian organized crime and stays below investigation for quite a few alleged crimes.
What’s important to notice is now we have Bulgarian organized crime and the Bulgarian Legal professional Basic’s Workplace focusing on journalists reporting on OneCoin associated corruption.
Geshev’s Workplace additionally focused Kamenov after it turned recognized he was allegedly cooperating with worldwide authorities. Two months later, Kamenov is gunned down in South Africa.
Underscoring all of that is Bulgarian authorities, below Geshev’s watch, failing to research and prosecute anybody concerned in OneCoin.
OneCoin to at the present time nonetheless operates brazenly from Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.
As Martin Himmelheber from NRWZ notes, Kamenov was additionally a “long-time accomplice” of Taki’s.
It isn’t a stretch that Taki and Geshev’s Workplace, who’re actively focusing on journalists reporting on OneCoin corruption in Bulgaria, had a hand in his homicide. That there’s a sturdy motive for one or each of the events’ involvement is plain.
I believe a lot of verifying whether or not Kamenov’s homicide is tied to OneCoin lies in who he was cooperating with and over what.
If that cooperation was with the DOJ and in relation to OneCoin cash laundering inside Bulgaria, that is possible what Geshev and Taki try to cowl up. Or at the least within the case of Kamenov, forestall additional proof being shared.
Quoting Willem Els, a senior coaching coordinator on the Transnational Threats and Worldwide Crimes Programme on the Institute for Safety Research, South Africa’s News24 studies;
Each pink discover will get distributed. Interpol SA has no excuse to say they didn’t know as a result of they did.
There lies our problem. If now we have a weak Interpol, communication with native police doesn’t exist. You’re solely pretty much as good as your native actor, and in SA, we’re not as sturdy as we’re imagined to be.
If Interpol SA have been conscious of Kamenov hiding in South Africa, inaction may alternatively help the declare Kamenov was cooperating with authorities exterior of Bulgaria.
I’d be much more inclined to consider Kamenov was helping with a wider cash laundering investigation than the alleged 2018 Ignatova homicide plot.
Info Kamenov was sharing would possibly very properly pertain to as of but unknown actors Ignatova was working with, each inside Bulgaria and overseas.
US felony investigations are sometimes locked down pending arrest of the suspect(s). Within the case of OneCoin, the DOJ will little question place a fair deeper emphasis on safety.
As per Frank Schneider’s OneCoin indictment, he stands accused of “offering confidential police info to OneCoin’s principals, resulting in Ruja Ignatova evading arrest”.
Schneider’s intel is believed to have been sourced from Bulgarian officers, who have been a part of the DOJ’s worldwide case briefs.
Sadly, as with something OneCoin associated, we’re as soon as once more caught ready for additional developments to get a clearer image on Kamenov’s loss of life.
Kamenov and his spouse are survived by their kids, all three of whom have been in class on the time of their homicide.