Public Statement by Antoaneta VassilevaMarch 23rd, 2017The criminal charges related to the purchase of a house in Western Europe, which the Bulgarian Prosecutor´s Office imposed on me yesterday, are blatantly false and part of a broader smear campaign directed against my husband and now me. My husband, Tzvetan Vassilev, has been active in exposing corruption at the highest levels in the Bulgarian Government, including criticism related to blackmail and mafia interference in official Bulgarian government activity.
The alleged "crime" against me is, in fact, a home purchase reported publicly and with income declared to all official Bulgarian authorities. This includes Bulgaria´s Tax Administration which has audited our family income for ten years and actually scrutinized the 2012 home purchase in question.
The obvious aim of the current charges against me is to refocus public attention on my husband, and continue the public lynching, economic pressure and psychological harassment which my family has unjustifiably endured for the past three years. The charges against me are a sure sign that the Bulgarian mafia continues to be desperate and fearful that we will continue to expose to the Bulgarian people and, for that matter, the rest of the world, the corruption that has weakened our country while padding the pockets of dishonest and greedy Bulgarian officials. Misusing and abusing state institutions for personal enrichment and repression of political and economic rivals is shocking and shameful. For those of us who believe in truth and justice, it is also a nightmare.
Yet, we owe it not only to ourselves, but also to our great country to continue the fight. We, and Bulgaria, deserve much better—a state which respects the rule of law and human rights.
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