Three separate courts impounded assets owned by tobacco company Bulgartabac Holding chief executive Hristo Lachev, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported on April 9. The court orders cover both banking accounts and real estate property owned by Lachev and his wife.

Sofia City Court, Kyustendil Regional Court and Bourgas Regional Court all issued their rulings at the request of the Bulgarian Criminal Assets Forfeiture Commission. The commission believes that the land lots owned by Hristo Lachev and his wife was acquired through criminal means, since his legal income was not enough to buy those properties.

The commission banned from building anything on two land plots in the village of Bistritsa, four real estates in Sapareva Bania and a flat in Slunchev Briag resort complex. The total worth of the assets, both land and money in bank accounts, impounded by courts was just short of one million leva.

Lachev is also being investigated on suspicions of malfeasance in office, although charges are yet to be pressed. He has been suspended for the duration of the probe.

Hours after the news, in an interview with BTA, Bulgartabac chief executive dismissed tax evasion allegations, claiming that he had no outstanding tax payments for prior periods. Lachev said he learned about his assets being impounded from the meida.

"This does not happen for the first time and is probably a new case of the vicious practice to attempt and influence important decisions by the relevant authorities using public relations methods," Lachev was quoted by BTA as saying.

"It is obvious that the attacks against me had nothing to do with my diligence in paying taxes or the legality of my assets because I have all documents attesting to my innocence," Bulgartabac chief executive said. "The goal of these insinuations is to keep me out of Bulgartabac management because it is in the interest of certain economic circles interested in privatising the holding."