A foreign national from a country bordering Bulgaria has been charged with the murder of businessman and former politician Slavi Binev, Nikolay Nikolaev, a spokesman for the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office, said.
Binev was shot at his home in Sofia's Pavlovo district at about 10am on Saturday. Three people were detained the same day on the Trakia motorway, near the Trayanovi Vrata tunnel. Prosecutors said charges could follow as early as Sunday.
Where it began: Three held over killing of Slavi Binev, charges could come today
"At this point the evidence shows that the man acted alone, so he is the only one charged over the act," the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office said.
He is charged with intentionally causing death by a shot to the head. Prosecutors say the evidence is enough: the accused killed Binev with one shot to the face. The case file shows the weapon was legally owned. An expert examination has been ordered.
The supervising prosecutor ordered the accused held for up to 72 hours because he is not a Bulgarian citizen and the crime is a serious danger to the public. Prosecutors will ask the court to keep him in custody. His name has not been released because of the presumption of innocence.
There is so far not enough evidence that the other two detainees were involved in any crime. Nothing suggests either was involved in criminal activity linked to alcohol or drugs.
Investigators questioned the people who were at the scene and are piecing together much of what happened from their statements.
The motive is still being established, and prosecutors cannot name it with certainty. "We can say for sure that the men knew each other well and had business dealings," the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office said. Asked whether the dispute was about money, property or accounts, prosecutors said the investigation is at an early stage and they will give no details for now.
Prosecutors also cannot say whether the accused came intending to kill or reacted in anger on the spot. They say the evidence points in different directions.
Yesterday the interior ministry named unsettled financial dealings as a likely motive and rejected the idea of a contract killing. Police say the killing was probably unplanned and that Binev knew the man who shot him.