A day after police arrested an alleged organised group on charges of attempting to fraudulently transfer ownership of an apartment in Sofia, it emerged that one of the fake documents the group tried to use had been authenticated by a notary linked to Iskra Fidosova, a member of Bulgaria’s ruling party GERB and of Parliament’s legal committee.
 
The arrests were announced by the Interior Ministry on August 26 2009. One of those arrested was a lawyer, media reports on August 27 2009 said.
 
The document authenticated by Fidosova’s deputy notary was found when police searched the homes and offices of members of the group.
 
The ministry said that the organised crime group was busted by officers from the chief directorate of the criminal police working in co-operation with the Sofia City Prosecutors Office.
 
The arrests followed a tip-off 10 days previously. The attempted transaction involved an apartment with a tax assessment of about 70 000 leva.
 
The alleged perpetrators used false credentials, including fake identity cards, to acquire all the documents necessary for the sale of the property, including tax assessments and plans. They had arranged to meet a notary to complete the transaction.
 
The group, aged from 37 to 49, included people with police records.
 
Bulgarian National Television said on August 27 2009 that Fidosova had responded that there was no way for notaries to validate the authenticity of identity cards because they did not have access to the relevant state computer systems.
 
There was no way to tell a real identity card from a fake one, "especially when they are very good fakes," Fidosova said.