Krasimir Marinov aka the Big Marguin pleaded not guilty before the Sofia City Court Monday, where he is tried for plotting three murders.

Marinov said that, except his brother, Nikolay Marinov aka the Little Marguin, he did not know any of the other defendants in the case, whom the Prosecutor charges as his accomplices.

The Marguin Brothers together with Veselin Toshev, Stefan Rangelov, Ivo Karageorgiev, and Biser Iliev are charged with organizing a criminal group and plotting the murders Nikola Damyanov, and Ivan Todorov, aka The Doctor (a large-scale mafia boss specialized at international cigarettes contraband), and of General Lyuben Gotsev (who survived the attempt on his life).

Marinov told the magistrates he never ordered any murders; does not own weapons, because he has his own security guards, and met the other defendants for the first time in the courtroom. He further denied ever having shares in the insurance company “Bul Ins” or knowing any of the victims, adding he had only seen Gotsev once, 15 years ago in a hotel building where the Marguin had offices.

After a lengthy period of time, during which the Court was trying to figure out the identity of a potential witness with the nickname Mravkata (The Ant), another alleged criminal, Tihomir Donchev aka Mravkata appeared before the magistrates Monday. Donchev, who is tried in a separate mafia murder case, testified he knew only The Little Marguin by meeting him in clubs several times through common friends.

The Little Marguin is tried in his absence because he disappeared in January and his whereabouts remain unknown.

The case has been dragging on for four years already and has been postponed on several occasions over the ailing held of one of the defendants, Ivo Georgiev. Meanwhile, Georgiev's brother, Svetlin, who was also tried in the same case, passed away.

The other defendants will be questioned on June 9, for which the next court session was scheduled.

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