The editorial office of Iskra.bg received a report from Dr. Kostadin Petkov, who makes serious accusations against his former wife, Judge Denitsa Valkova, a current magistrate at the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC). Dr. Petkov claims that Valkova submitted a false property declaration for 2020, which he believes is part of a larger scheme for financial gain. The report has also been submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Iskra.bg reached out to Judge Valkova for a comment on the accusations, and she provided a detailed statement. In it, she disputes all of Dr. Petkov’s claims, calling them „defamatory“ and „an attempt at revenge“. Valkova emphasizes that their dispute is not new and has already been the subject of numerous court cases in England. According to her, English courts have consistently dismissed Dr. Petkov’s complaints, with the most recent ruling from the Northampton court on February 4, 2025, confirming that his allegations are unfounded.
„You can contact the court and verify the truth of my statements by the case number,“, Judge Valkova stated, providing contact information for the relevant court in England. She claims to possess documents proving the legality of her actions, including court decisions from Lincoln and Nottingham courts that reject her ex-husband’s accusations.
Regarding the specific accusation of a false declaration for 2020, she stated:
„Every declaration of a Bulgarian judge is public and accessible 24/7. If I declared the property in 2020, it is because the final court decision of the Family Court in Lincoln from January 22, 2019, became effective and designated me as the sole owner. If I did not declare it, I would be held liable. Acquiring property through a court ruling does not mean that I acquired it through a purchase and sale.“
Valkova pointed out that she refuses to accept Dr. Petkov’s assertion that she acted improperl, and even insists that the competent authorities conduct an investigation to clear any doubts.
For his part, Dr. Petkov claims that he has evidence showing that Judge Valkova has repeatedly concealed financial information in official documents. According to him, she has acquired significant assets without being able to explain their origin.
„In 2017, she acquired a 500 sqm property in the village of Lăka, and in 2023, she bought an apartment in the Boyana district of Sofia. All these assets were acquired while she declared relatively modest income,“ he says. In response, Judge Valkova points out that „I own an apartment and a garage in Boyana – duly declared last year with the source of funds – sale of an inherited apartment and a mortgage loan from DSK.“
According to him, the most serious violation is related to the 2020 declaration, where Valkova states that she acquired a house in Lincoln with an area of 220 sqm, valued at 220,000 BGN. Dr. Petkov counters that this amount is significantly undervalued, as the real value of the property was at least 155,000 pounds (about 341,000 BGN at the time’s exchange rate). He further claims that the house is registered solely in his name in the English property register and that Valkova has failed to change this, despite several attempts.
„This is not only morally unacceptable but also legally problematic,“, he pointed out, adding that he has filed a report to the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office and to several media outlets to draw attention to the case.
The conflict between them is not limited to financial accusations. According to Judge Valkova, Dr. Petkov is deliberately delaying the execution of court decisions in order to retain free use of the property that the court awarded her. She claims that he mortgaged the house without her knowledge and took out a loan of 180,000 pounds from Santander Bank, which she considers to be „documentary fraud.“
„An investigation in England has already begun based on my report,“, she stated.
At the same time, Dr. Petkov insists that the court decisions in England do not reflect the real situation and that he has become a victim of legal manipulation by Valkova. He emphasizes that he has repeatedly appealed the decisions, but English courts have consistently rejected his appeals.
„I never imagined that a judge of such a high level could lie so cold-bloodedly in court,“, he said.
While the court cases between the two continue both in England and Bulgaria, the question remains whether the institutions will respond to the new accusations. The Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria has not yet issued an official statement regarding Dr. Petkov’s report. Whether Judge Valkova has indeed committed violations or if this is merely a battle between ex-spouses remains to be clarified by the competent authorities.
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