ELECTED OFFICIALS SENTENCED IN LANDMARK HUMAN TRAFFICKING

UNCLAS SOFIA 000369 EUR/RPM FOR POMEROY AND HALL SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB SUBJECT: ELECTED OFFICIALS SENTENCED IN LANDMARK HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASE ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Varna District Court sentenced two municipal counselors on June 11 to one and three years respectively for leading and participating in an organized crime group involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking. The government froze their property and anticipates recovering seven million leva (approximately five million USD) through forfeiture proceedings. In total, 24 people were implicated in this case, including a third municipal counselor who is awaiting a court hearing on July 15. With the fall of major long-term players and the expected seizure of the group's ill-gotten gains, prosecutors count this case as a major breakthrough in dismantling an entire Varna-based organized crime group. It is also the first time that elected officials have been successfully prosecuted for crimes related to human trafficking. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Varna is the largest city on the Black Sea Coast and is a popular tourist destination as well as a known transit point for human trafficking. Risk Monitor Foundation notes that trafficking groups typically have regional managers who are linked to politicians and magistrates. The two Varna municipal counselors sentenced are especially high-profile as they are the son and grandson of the now deceased Hristo Danov, Sr., who was the chair of the Bulgarian Constitutional Court and Interior Minister in the early 1990s. As municipal counselors, both Hristo and Veselin Danov had previously opposed funding for the local anti-trafficking commission. ¶3. (SBU) While being held in May on charges of extortion, money laundering and luring women into prostitution, both Veselin and Hristo Danov voiced their aspirations to run for Parliament in the July 5 elections and were nominated on the ticket of the Union of Bulgarian Patriots. This ghost-party is notorious for its nominations of other indicted criminals as MP candidates, but is not considered a serious contender in the election. Due to their convictions in mid-June, neither counselor could appear on the ballot. ¶4. (SBU) On June 11, Veselin and Hristo Danov were convicted of leading an organized crime group, but not of human trafficking directly. This charge was reserved for the group's rank and file, whom victims could personally identify. According to Varna Deputy Chief Appellate Prosecutor Vilen Michev, criminal groups are often structured so that leaders with ties to the government do not touch the criminal activity and are linked only to the money. Another regional counselor, Ivan Slavkov, rejected an offer for a four-year sentence and is awaiting trial on July 15. Of the 24 people implicated in the organized crime group, 19 have pled guilty and agreed to bargain with prosecutors. ¶5. (SBU) According to Prosecutor Evgeni Dikov, the Varna organized crime group has been active since 1996. Dikov views the case as a success and believes that the removal of the long-term players from the group and the recovery of significant funds made from illegal practices will make it possible to dismantle the group as a whole. Although controversial, Dikov believes that plea-bargain arrangements are preferable due to the large scope of the case. With 24 defendants, a trial for all would have taken years to complete. In addition, Bulgarian law mandates that first-time offenders who plead guilty in trial must be given a sentence less than the minimum time in prison. In this case, the minimum sentence is five years both for leadership in an organized crime group and for human trafficking. In addition, having obtained sentences for the predicate crime, the prosecutors are planning to pursue money laundering charges. ¶6. (SBU) Dikov credits some of the success of this case to an unconventional approach borrowed from American law. Prosecutors decided not to charge Slavkov's treasurer, a member of the upper tier of the organized crime group, on condition that he testify throughout the trial. This is not common practice in Bulgarian courts but has proved effective since the treasurer has been willing to testify and provide valuable information on how the group is managed. He will be tried at a later date and will face more lenient charges. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: This is a much needed win for Bulgarian prosecutors and the government as a whole. In the past, the judicial system has routinely failed to make charges stick to upper-level OC figures and politicians. The successful conclusion of this case will help the government demonstrate that it is serious about fighting corruption and organized crime and give a badly-needed boost to its credibility on rule of law within the EU. END COMMENT. McEldowney