Sat, Nov 21 2009

High profile sports official case ends in acquittal

Wed, Mar 18 2009 17:58 CET byPetar Kostadinov 718 Views
High profile sports official case ends in acquittal

Ivan Lekov

Photo: Assen Tonev

Ivan Lekov, former deputy chairperson of the State Agency for Sport and Youth (SASY) and a member of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) executive committee, has been acquitted of extracting money from referees by Sofia City Court on March 18 2009.

Lekov was accused of asking 7800 leva from nine referees to pay for visits by experts from Europe's football governing body Uefa and furnish them with gifts.

Prosecutors claimed that Lekov, a well-known former football referee, had defrauded the referees but all the individuals in question said they had voluntarily given Lekov the money and did not feel cheated.

According to Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily, Lekov said that he would file a claim against referee Hristo Ristoskov who had accused him of malfeasance and abuse of position but without giving proof.

Ristoskov's accusations led to the State Agency for National Security bursting into Lekov's office on September 23 2008 and escorting him, handcuffed, in full view of TV cameras.

Ristoskov claimed that Lekov has been match fixing. However, Ristoskov failed to offer any real proof and decided not to testify against Lekov who dismissed all the allegations, describing them as a set-up.

Lekov's arrest was often cited by authorities as an example of their high-level anti-corruption drive.

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Top sport official charged with abuse with power released on bail

Ivan Lekov, deputy chairperson of the State Agency for Sport and Youth (SASY) and member of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) executive committee, was released on 10 000 leva bail by the Sofia City Court on September 26 2008. Lekov was arrested three days earlier in front of TV cameras by undercover agents of the State Agency for National Security. He was charged with abuse of position in relation to the accusations levelled by four former football referees, who claimed that Lekov had asked them to fix football matches.

FROM THE EDITOR: Bulgarian football and foul play

The arrest, at the instance of the State Agency for National Security, of State Agency for Sport and Youth deputy head Ivan Lekov has thrown into sharp relief the deepening controversy surrounding Bulgarian football. Lekov was detained in connection with alleged abuse of office, the latest twist following allegations by a group of Bulgarian referees of foul

Football, lies and videotape

On the day Transparency International declared Bulgaria the most corrupt country in the European Union, the Bulgarian sport and football world was shocked to see the arrest of a high-profile sport and government official. Ivan Lekov, a well-known former football referee and current deputy head of the State Agency for Sports and Youth (SASY) was arrested on

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Marius Tsakov, deputy governor of the Sofia region and a senior member of the National Movement for Stability and Progress, was arrested on September 24 2008 in possession of a large amount in marked banknotes, an alleged bribe. Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said that the sum was 6000 euro, Bulgaria's Focus news agency said that it was 6000 leva while news website mediapool.bg said that it was $6000.

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