Bitcoin News and Finance Lawyer Seeks Reopening of Onecoin Case in Bulgaria Seizure of Assets Skip to main content

Lawyer Seeks Reopening of Onecoin Case in Bulgaria Seizure of Assets

Lawyer Seeks Reopening of Onecoin Case in Bulgaria, Seizure of Assets

A lawyer representing Onecoin victims has urged Bulgarian authorities to reopen an investigation into the crypto pyramid scheme and seize assets to compensate his clients. The attorney is asking officials in Sofia to take into account developments he considers related to the case, including the recent murder of a Bulgarian crime figure in South Africa.

Attorney Hopes New Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Takes on Onecoin Investigation

Dr. Jonathan Levy, a legal representative for people affected by Onecoin from several countries, has filed a new request that Bulgaria’s acting top prosecutor reopens an investigation into the multi-billion dollar crypto Ponzi scheme and seize associated assets for restitution of the victims.

In a letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, Levy is turning attention to recent events that he believes are connected to the case. These include the murder of Bulgarian organized crime figure Krasimir Kamenov in South Africa, linked to the recently fired chief public prosecutor of Bulgaria, Ivan Geshev, and the fugitive founder of Onecoin, Ruja Ignatova.

Geshev was removed from office by Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council earlier in June and replaced by Borislav Sarafov as Acting Prosecutor General. In December 2021, Levy filed a petition with the Bulgarian Constitutional Ombudsman, accusing Geshev of protecting Onecoin which allegedly continued to operate through affiliated entities in Bulgaria.

The U.K. lawyer now insists that Onecoin must be shut down, the responsible persons arrested and their assets seized. In support of his latest request, Levy presents a sworn declaration by Onecoin’s former Compliance Officer Duncan Arthur, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of South Africa, which details the scam’s contacts in Africa.

Kamenov, who was assassinated in Cape Town in late May, along with his wife and two other victims, has been accused of involvement in the murder of a top police official in Sofia and connected to the disappearance of Ruja Ignatova and a reported 230,000 BTC in her possession.

Cryptoqueen’s Whereabouts and Fate Still Unknown

According to an article published in February by the Bulgarian website Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (Bird.bg), the “missing Cryptoqueen” was killed in Greece, in November 2018, a year after she boarded a plane bound for Athens. The report claims the conclusion is based on evidence obtained during the investigation into last year’s murder of the ex-head of a criminal police department in the Bulgarian capital.

Both may have been murdered by a crime group associated with Kamenov, according to the information. However, Jonathan Levy requested an investigation suggesting Ignatova’s death may have been faked by the criminal organization. “Geshev then belatedly sought Kamenov’s arrest but not before Geshev claimed he had narrowly escaped a bomb plot,” the attorney noted.

“I am requesting the Acting Chief Prosecutor review this new material and our previous requests and take action now against the Onecoin organized crime gang in Bulgaria and the former Chief Prosecutor Geshev who we accuse of deliberate nonfeasance. And in particular seize the assets of the OneCoin gang for the benefit and restitution of victims,” Levy wrote to the Bulgarian Justice Ministry.

Launched in 2014 as a multi-level marketing (MLM) network based on a non-existent cryptocurrency, Onecoin is believed to have defrauded more than 3 million investors globally of over $4 billion. Its mastermind, Bulgarian-born German national Ruja Ignatova, was last seen on Oct. 25, 2017, at the airport in Athens, and is still wanted by Interpol, Europol, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to South Africa’s Daily Maverick newspaper, Kamenov may have had information about her. The publication also revealed that around 2018, Ignatova’s brother and Onecoin co-founder, Konstantin, posted photos on his Instagram showing he had visited Cape Town. He was arrested in Los Angeles the following year and pleaded guilty to Onecoin-related charges while seeking witness protection in the United States. Ruja’s business partner, U.K. and Swedish national Sebastian Greenwood, also pleaded guilty in December 2022.

Do you think investigators will get to the bottom of the Onecoin case? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl...

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju...

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and...

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r...
Blogarama - Blog Directory