Controversial Bulgarian businessman Aleksei Petrov, who is being sued on several counts, has praised the creation and leadership of the new Bulgarian anti-corruption unit, BORKOR.

Petrov, who has also been a secret agent of the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security (DANS), in particular lauded the inclusion of his fomer boss, ex DANS director Petko Sertov, as deputy director of BORKOR.

"I think that the inclusion of proven professionals such as Sertov is an attempt to show that corruption has no political color," said Petrov.

Over the past year or so since his arrest in February 2010, the former security agent has been presented by authorities, including PM Boyko Borisov and Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, as the ringleader of one of the most extensive criminal networks in Bulgaria, which they dubbed 'the Octopus.'

This has ironically provided a not inconsiderable stimulus for public attention to be directed at Petrov, who is now openly stating his political ambitions, which go as far as a presidential bid for elections in the fall.

At the same time, the trial against Petrov has not made any palpable progress towards showing criminal guilt on his part. Tuesday the court released him from house arrest, and Saturday Petrov was speaking at a business gathering in Pleven.

Aleksei Petrov and PM Boyko Borisov have allegedly been business partners in the past, and at any rate there is a manifest animosity between them in their public statements.

This week Petrov claimed that Borisov was behind an attempt on his life that happened in 2002 and further intimated that the Bulgarian PM might be implicated in the recent bomb explosion in the office of controversial Galeria newspaper, which has taken to producing leaked recordings of conversations between high-ranking government officials.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!