The Bulgarian businessman Mario Nikolov, who has been charged with the abuse of EUR 7,5 M of SAPARD money, said on Sunday he would not agree to any deals with the prosecution.

"I am going to die standing, not kneeling", Nikolov declared during a meeting with journalists that he arranged over the recent offers for a deal on his trial made by prosecutors through the Bulgarian media.

Nikolov was explicit he could not accept any deals because this would mean that he would have to admit his guilt.

"I cannot admit a crime that I have not committed. I'd rather receive an unjust sentence", the businessman said.

Nikolov admitted he had been a member of the Supreme Council of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party for ten years but claimed he had never used the party's political protection.

He stressed that his trial was facing political pressure as all political parties were interested in using his case as a scapegoat. At the same time, his partners in Germany were forced to make a deal with the prosecution under political pressure.

Nikolov further announced he was setting up an award in his own name for objective criminal journalism.

"I am going to help anyone who has been charged unjustly as I am", the businessman promised.

While the siphoning off EUR 7,5 M of SAPARD funds was investigated as early as 2007, Mario Nikolov became especially famous in June 2008 when a report by the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF leaked to the Bulgarian media.

In it, Nikolov and his partner Lyudmil Stoykov were referred as the leaders of the "Nikolov-Stoykov" group, which was allegedly involved in a number of corruption schemes but was enjoying political protection.

The OLAF Report also exposed the two businessmen as sponsors of the election campaign of Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov.

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