Slavi Binev killed in Sofia home after phone call; €500,000 dispute and suspect charged

Former Bulgarian MEP, businessman and sports official Slavi Binev was shot dead at his Sofia home on 24 October, after what investigators say was a tense sequence of meetings and a phone call that escalated a long-running property dispute.

According to the reconstruction of events in the investigation, Eyup Temiz had earlier met Binev in his Pavlovo residence together with a friend and a translator to discuss division of real estate and alleged unpaid or disputed obligations. Prosecutors say a payment of €500,000 that Temiz allegedly made to Binev for mediation in the conflict is one of the elements under scrutiny.

Confrontation after a phone call

The night before the killing, the meeting ended without resolution. The following morning Binev spoke by phone with Nia Temiz, who is reported to be the daughter of former Sofia chief architect Stoyan Yanev and to have business links with architect Kalin Tiholov in the property sector. Investigators say the call became heated; Nia Temiz cried, and her husband learned of the conversation.

Prosecutors and media reconstructions state that Eyup Temiz, angered by what he heard, returned to Binev’s house together with his translator/driver and another man. Security cameras recorded the three men's arrival, and witnesses describe a fierce argument over money and unresolved property matters that turned physical. Temiz allegedly struck Binev in the face and then produced a firearm, firing a fatal shot to the head.

The body was found by a domestic helper and police were alerted. Around an hour after the shooting, police intercepted the suspects on the Trakia motorway near the Trajanovi vrata tunnel. Two firearms were recovered during the stop; one was reportedly discarded from the car during the interception and the other was found on one of those detained.

The Bulgarian prosecutor’s office has said the evidence points to Eyup Temiz as the person who fired the lethal shot and has charged him with intentional murder; he was initially placed in detention for up to 72 hours. The other two men who were present in the house are, for now, treated as witnesses because investigators say there is insufficient evidence of their direct involvement.

Investigators continue to analyse security footage, trace the vehicle and examine the weapons to establish who fired the fatal bullet and whether the alleged €500,000 payment and the business ties between Binev and the Temiz family were direct motives. Eyup Temiz remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Photo: press material from the event