Businessman Ivan Petleshkov says his lawyers are drawing up lawsuits against TV channel NOVA after it linked his name to the murder of Plovdiv businessman Iliyan Filipov. He posted the statement on Facebook.

Petleshkov had asked the channel for a formal right of reply but says he still hasn't got one. NOVA has made no public comment on the request.

On two mornings in a row after the murder, NOVA's morning show discussed the conflict between him and Filipov — which he says is why he's speaking out now. Petleshkov says the questions and the spin on air were one-sided, and that no facts were shown linking him to the crime.

One of the studio guests, he says, had already spoken publicly about his personal feelings toward him over lawsuits between the two. He also quotes a line the host said at the end of one segment: "Since we talked more about Petleshkov than about Filipov…" Part of his statement was read out on air, with the explanation that this was done "to stay fair," Petleshkov says. For him, journalism isn't a box to tick — everyone has the right to have the facts about them reported properly, not to have their reply waved off as a formality.

"I won't take part in speculation, and I won't answer insinuation with insinuation," Petleshkov wrote.

The lawsuits will target claims and insinuations made against his name and against the reputation of the companies he runs. He also plans to seek damages, which he says come from lost business — this kind of coverage, he says, hits partnerships and business ties built up over years. He says his name was linked to a murder in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.

"Facts are established in court, and that's where people answer for their words — not in TV studios," he said, declining to trade public accusations.

Petleshkov compared how three national broadcasters handled his statement. bTV ran his full reply, and BNT contacted him for comment. Nobody from NOVA got in touch, he says.

He says the channel brought up an old article by Filipov but left out what happened afterward. According to him, in a case he brought, Plovdiv district court found Filipov guilty of libel at first instance over that same article. Petleshkov made the ruling public as early as 30 September, when he called on media outlets and political figures not to turn his old disputes with Filipov into theories about the murder without any evidence.

The public feud between the two men began in 2025, over mutual claims about business dealings and influence in Plovdiv.