Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Investigation under way of construction businessman over extortion charges

Police presence near the house of Veliko Zhelev
Photo: BGNES

The Bulgarian businessman Veliko Zhelev and two other persons are being investigated by the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office for causing bodily harm to a former employee of theirs and extortion. There is evidence that they forced the person to sign a document with false content about unsettled relations, Deputy District Prosecutor Borislav Georgiev said at a briefing.

Zhelev is a former head of the Bulgarian Road Agency and adviser to a regional minister. He is the owner of significant construction companies. 

Zhelev was detained late at night on March 6 in Sofia. The police searched his office in Sofia and a property in Varna. 
The former employee was questioned repeatedly. He was forced to assume a property obligation, said Georgiev.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian opera singers with concert in Grasse to mark 145th anniversary of Bulgarian-French diplomatic relations

Vice President Iliana Iotova is paying a visit to Grasse, France at the invitation of the town mayor Mayor Jerome Viaud and the local cultural association Centre d'Art des Collines de Grasse. The visit marks the 145 th anniversary of the..

published on 4/26/25 9:52 AM

PM Zhelyazkov heads the Bulgarian delegation at the funeral of Pope Francis

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov will lead the Bulgarian delegation to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome , Italy, the Cabinet’s press office announced. The delegation also includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications..

published on 4/26/25 8:05 AM

24 May declared Bulgarian Heritage Day in Las Vegas for the third year in a row

May 24 will be declared Bulgarian Heritage Day by the Mayor of Las Vegas, Shelley Berkley, Bulgaria's Consulate General in Los Angeles announced. The official meeting between the new mayor of the largest and most popular city in the state of Nevada..

published on 4/26/25 7:55 AM