Bulgaria Dreamt of Live Aid, but got Stung, not Sting

Using court papers a number of related cases, BIRN has pieced together a saga of deceit that, far from putting Bulgaria on the map, left only a trail of lawsuits, squandered cash and the prospect of DiMaggio spending up to 20 years behind bars.

'I just couldn't say 'No''

It all began in December 2015 with Jay Botteff, a British-based theatre director better known in his native Bulgaria as Zhivko Botev.

Apparently moved by images of abandoned and orphaned children in conflicts around the world, and inspired by Bob Geldof's 1985 Live Aid, Botev decided to emulate the event in Bulgaria and opened a foundation under the name 'Peace for You, Peace for Me.'

"[The foundation] began to explore organising a charity benefit concert to provide financial aid to and awareness of homeless and displaced children in and from conflict zones worldwide" Botev said in a witness declaration to court.

He began approaching Bulgarian business people, offering Silver, Gold and Diamond sponsorship packages worth 50,000, 125,000 and 250,000 euros respectively. Anyone willing to cough up 1.5 million euros would receive a special, tailored deal.

Dachev, 69, was won over.

"The idea was so good that I just couldn't say 'No'," he told BIRN by phone. "I'm an emotional guy from the Balkans."

Admitting he could not have "full trust" in people he did not know, Dachev said a "transparent structure" was created to oversee how the money would be spent. He signed up, along with a number of others, including the former executive chairman of the Bulgarian Bulgarian Industrial Association, Bozhidar Danev.

"I'm sorry the idea was not realised," he said. "It would have become history."

UN 'Musical Director'

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