Sofia prosecutors said on Thursday there was no evidence whatsoever to prove the allegations exchanged by the country's economy minister and the head of the national investigative service.

The prosecutors found no evidence that Economy Minister Rumen Ovcharov threatened physical violence against chief investigator Anguel Alexandrov, as claimed by Alexandrov himself.

But they also could not find any proof that Alexandrov demanded payoffs from Ovcharov's axed deputy, Korneliya Ninova, for the unspecified use of his institution.

Despite the absence of evidence on the main accusations against them, the two will nevertheless be investigated on charges that they tried to interfere with the judiciary system by influencing the probe into the alleged corruption at Sofia heating firm Toplofikatsia.

Neither of the two will lose their jobs over the case, however, since the prosecutors did not find the charges against them as serious enough to warrant their dismissals.

Both Ovcharov and Alexandrov went on unpaid leave when the prosecutors began their probe and are now free to return to their jobs.

The third official investigated by the capital's prosecutors, Delyan Peevski, who was sacked as deputy disaster managemsent minister, will be investigated for malfeasance in office.

The CEO of state tobacco company Bulgartabac, Hristo Lachev, has accused Peevski of pressuring him to hire certain individuals in Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly.

Lachev also backed Ninova's claims that chief investigator Alexandrov has been demanding money from the tobacco monopolist for the use of the institution he heads.

Alexandrov hit back, saying he was the target of attacks from Ovcharov's entourage, who used Ninova, a former investigator, to pressure him to stop poking around certain probes that may lead to the minister.

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