State attack against toy chain after owner and employees take part in antigovernment protests
A massive raid by several state authorities against the Bulgarian toy store chain Hippoland (Хиполенд) began Friday morning and concluded at the end of the day, likely due to increasing backlash from the public. The tax authority, the other financial institutions involved and the police closed the day-long active probe, having found a discrepancy of 9,60 leva (about 5 euro) in the books.
The raid came a day after Hippoland’s owner and CEO Marian Kolev published a highly critical Фейсбук post against the government and the police. Kolev’s post was prompted by and detailed how his 17-year-old was almost blinded after being peppered sprayed by police forces while peacefully protesting the previous day,.
Kolev and Hippoland employees have openly supported and participated in the nationwide antigovernment protests, which are now almost in their 60th day. Employees are often seen wearing Hippoland t-shirts during demonstrations as well.
Meanwhile, a member of the non-parliamentary anticorruption opposition Democratic Bulgaria, Ivo Mirchev, posted a video, taken at a Hippoland store yesterday, to express his discontent. In the video, Mirchev claims media mogul and DPS MP Delyan Peevski had tried to buy Hippoland from Marian Kolev through a proxy but Kolev had declined. This, Mirchev claimed, was one of the reasons for the raid: retaliation against Kolev for taking part in the protests, but also for declining to sell the business.
Besides having acquired most of the news outlets in Bulgaria, which caused Reporters Without Borders to name him personally as the prime reason for the rapid decline of press freedom in the country, Peevski owns an array of other businesses. In June, the NGO Anticorruption Fund published a multi-part investigation of a to seize a successful Bulgarian escalator business. Apparently, Bulgaria was looking at receiving large sums through Euro funds for escalator renovations, and such companies would be able to win public contracts for their execution. This was one of the more detailed cases, but many other instances of Peevski or proxies undertaking similar acquisitions have also been reported on, leaving little wonder as to Mirchev’s claims.
The raid came a day after Hippoland’s owner and CEO Marian Kolev published a highly critical Фейсбук post against the government and the police. Kolev’s post was prompted by and detailed how his 17-year-old was almost blinded after being peppered sprayed by police forces while peacefully protesting the previous day,.
Kolev and Hippoland employees have openly supported and participated in the nationwide antigovernment protests, which are now almost in their 60th day. Employees are often seen wearing Hippoland t-shirts during demonstrations as well.
Meanwhile, a member of the non-parliamentary anticorruption opposition Democratic Bulgaria, Ivo Mirchev, posted a video, taken at a Hippoland store yesterday, to express his discontent. In the video, Mirchev claims media mogul and DPS MP Delyan Peevski had tried to buy Hippoland from Marian Kolev through a proxy but Kolev had declined. This, Mirchev claimed, was one of the reasons for the raid: retaliation against Kolev for taking part in the protests, but also for declining to sell the business.
Besides having acquired most of the news outlets in Bulgaria, which caused Reporters Without Borders to name him personally as the prime reason for the rapid decline of press freedom in the country, Peevski owns an array of other businesses. In June, the NGO Anticorruption Fund published a multi-part investigation of a to seize a successful Bulgarian escalator business. Apparently, Bulgaria was looking at receiving large sums through Euro funds for escalator renovations, and such companies would be able to win public contracts for their execution. This was one of the more detailed cases, but many other instances of Peevski or proxies undertaking similar acquisitions have also been reported on, leaving little wonder as to Mirchev’s claims.
Източник: mediapool.bg
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