The most significant clues linking the agent with the murder of Georgi Markov
Piccadilly is the only agent of all those sent to the UK in whose files the Bulgarian investigation services in 1991-1992 discovered documentary evidence relating to the case. In 1977 he was referred by the First Main Directorate of the State Security Service to work on planning the “disarming” or “neutralization” of Georgi Markov – “Wanderer”.
In 1976 and 1977 Piccadilly was instructed to visit London on a number of occasions, traveling on each occasion on a false passport. He stayed in the suburb of South Clapham in the immediate vicinity of Markov’s home.
At the end of 1977, Piccadilly requested the sum of 30 000 pounds sterling from the First Main Directorate to set up a business in London.
In December, 1977, Piccadilly was summoned to Bulgaria to undergo special intelligence training, including lie-detector training. It was then reported to the FMD that the training had been successful, the agent had received the necessary operational skills and that from a “petty criminal” the agent now possessed “progressive thoughts” and was “acutely critical of capitalism”.
During his training he was very well taken care of. He was given a tour of Bulgaria in a helicopter. He also had personal meeting with the director of the First Main Directorate, General Vasil Kotsev, who held a farewell dinner in his honour.
The FMD paid him the sum of 3 500 pounds sterling, and at least 5 000 USD during this period.
Documents relating to the his activities after the special training and for the whole of 1978 are missing from his files with the exception of a report relating to a meeting in June 1978, at which he was criticized for his slow infiltration into the United Kingdom.
After the murder of Markov in September, 1978, the FDM suddenly began actively to show interest in the “situation surrounding Piccadilly”.
In January 1979 he was summoned to Sofia where he was given a vacation and no tasks were allocated to him. The agent thanked them for “everything” and declared that he was prepared in the future to fulfill all tasks which might be required of him.
He was awarded two medals by the Ministry of the Interior for “services for the security of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria”.
He was controlled by the Centre and not the resident.
All decisions connected with his activities, such as the provision of funds, were approved at the highest level, and only by three persons – the Director of the FMD, Gen. Vasil Kotsev, his Deputy General Vladimir Todorov, responsible for hostile émigrés, and the Deputy Minister of the Interior, General Stoyan Savov, responsible for intelligence operations. Todorov and Savov were also involved in the destruction of Georgi Markov’s files in January, 1990.
After Markov’s murder, Piccadilly never visited the United Kingdom again.
After 1979, Piccadilly’s business in Copenhagen suddenly began to take off. He rented new premises in the centre of the Danish capital for 1000 dollars per month and purchased a new car and van.
During the period up to 1990 the FMD arranged for Piccadilly three more vacations in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (PRB).
Although he carried out no more activities, the FMD continued to support him financially. Piccadilly received at least 30 000 USD. Together with the expenses allocated for meetings with him, the FMD invested about 100 000 USD in the agent.
In 1985 the intelligence services raised the question of keeping him as an agent since it had been concluded that he had “limited capabilities and was not being used actively”. It was argued that he be retained “in connection with his work in the past and in the aims of observing the situation around him”.
When in April 1990 Piccadilly was hastily “frozen” the only thing Piccadilly was interested in was whether his activities would be disclosed publicly if the opposition won the forthcoming elections.
Piccadilly’s files were cleansed and part of the materials were destroyed by General Vladimir Todorov, Director of the Intelligence Service, in flagrant violation of the procedures. In 1992 Todorov was charged and sentenced for the destruction of the Markov files.
|
