Murder in Plovdiv: Slavcho Megerov charged with death of businessman Philippov
51-year-old Slavcho Megerov is charged with the premeditated murder of businessman Iliyan Philippov. The prosecution is preparing a request for him to be remanded in custody due to unresolved financial relations between the two men.
Plovdiv businessman shot dead — 51-year-old with three-decade criminal history arrested
According to Novinite.com, Plovdiv police have identified 51-year-old Slavcho Megerov as the perpetrator of the murder of businessman Iliyan Philippov, with the prosecution preparing to request his remand in custody.
Megerov has been formally charged with premeditated murder under the corresponding provision of the Penal Code. Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office stated that the motive is personal and linked to unresolved financial relations between the two men.
Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, director of the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Plovdiv, stated that the suspect was interrogated and initial procedural actions were undertaken to document the crime. "In my opinion, based on my many years of experience working on crimes of this type, the circumstances provide sufficient grounds to believe that he is the perpetrator of this serious criminal act," Kostadinov said.
He added that Megerov was captured on closed-circuit television cameras at the crime scene and that investigators have collected a significant volume of evidence implicating him in the murder. "A huge amount of evidence has been gathered in support of our conclusion that he is the actual perpetrator of the crime," the commissioner noted, clarifying that the two men knew each other and had maintained contact, including one or two weeks before the murder.
The prosecution is expected to request the most serious measure of security — remand in custody — on Saturday or Sunday. Investigating Prosecutor Dimitar Molev stated that the evidence gathered is sufficient to support such a request. The information was presented at an evening briefing with representatives of the prosecution and interior ministry.
According to the investigation, Philippov and Megerov had known each other for years, maintained close relations, and had business ties before a conflict erupted between them. Investigators have not established exactly when their financial disagreements began, nor the exact nature of their relationship. The prosecution has not disclosed what Megerov said during his interrogation, and Molev refused to clarify whether Philippov owed money to the accused. "I cannot say," the prosecutor replied when asked whether Philippov was indebted to Megerov.
The authorities have not clarified which of the two owed money to the other, with the motive described only as unresolved financial relations. Kostadinov stated that investigators are still checking whether Megerov had been stalking Philippov before the murder. It has been confirmed that witnesses have been identified, but none of them saw the moment of the shooting.
The murder weapon has not been made public — the authorities have not confirmed whether it was found or how many shots were fired. The emergency call was made to the 112 number by a bystander.
The suspect, who has been living in Sofia for several years, was arrested following a joint operation by the Interior Ministry and State Agency National Security (DANS), involving the General Directorate of National Police and the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime. The police chief indicated that the possibility of a contract killing has not been ruled out.
Megerov was born in Plovdiv and has a criminal history spanning more than three decades. Although rehabilitated and officially without convictions, he has been convicted multiple times. According to the Deputy Interior Minister, his criminal file includes acts from 1993 to 2020 — murder committed as a minor, theft, and participation in an organised criminal group.
Police records also list safe-cracking robberies, a murder from the 1990s, and business interests in the construction sector. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev noted that Megerov has three convictions — for robbery, wilful murder, and theft. His most serious sentence was 11 years' imprisonment for murder following a brawl in a Plovdiv nightclub in the early 1990s.
After his release, Megerov engaged in robberies and thefts, acquiring a reputation as a skilled safe-cracker. In 2013, he and members of his gang attempted to rob a public safe in Kardzali — they immobilised security guards and broke into 32 safe-deposit boxes, finding 4,500 euros in one of them, while the others were empty. Police arrested him outside the building shortly after the robbery, and he reached an agreement with prosecutors, receiving a seven-year prison sentence.
His gang also carried out a robbery of a jeweller's shop in Plovdiv, in which approximately 6 kilogrammes of gold jewellery were stolen. Subsequently, Megerov spent two years in hiding in Dubai under pressure from police operations in Plovdiv.
After 2021, he entered the construction business, becoming a partner in several companies, including a firm in which he is a business partner of Philippov. Public registers show that Megerov holds a 50 per cent stake in a real estate project in Sofia.
Source: Novinite.com