Missing cryptoqueen dey alive or she don die?

For September 2019 BBC podcast start reporting on di extraordinary tale of Ruja Ignatova, Bulgarian woman wey FBI dey look for afta she scam investors out of $4.5bn (£3.54bn) through her fake cryptocurrency, bifor she disappear into thin air.

Now we don go on her trail to try to discova her fate. BBC Eye Investigations and Panorama don look at her close ties to suspected Bulgarian organised crime boss and allegations say dem brutally murder am. Ms Ignatova don enjoy di billions she steal or di pipo wey she pay make dem protect am, don kill her?

Dem born Oxford University graduate Ruja Ignatova for Bulgaria and raise am for Germany, she pursue successful career in finance bifor she start cryptocurrency, OneCoin for 2014.

Ms Ignatova bin convince millions of pipo around di world to invest for OneCoin, wey promise to get beyond di huge returns early Bitcoin investors dey get.

But in reality, Ms Ignatova - wey pipo sabi as Dr Ruja - create cleverly-disguised investment fraud, witout di digital record wey legitimate cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin dey use.

As investigators from Germany and di US close in on Ms Ignatova for October 2017, she take early morning Ryanair flight from Sofia to Athens, and dem no see am again.

For di past year, BBC World Service Eye Investigations and Panorama don dey try to find out more about wetin happun to her, and weda she even dey alive.

Key to dis na to establish who dey her inner circle.

Richard Reinhardt, who begin di investigation into OneCoin for di US Internal Revenue Service alongside di FBI, tell di BBC about one key character investigators neva publicly name bifor.

Di BBC understand say na di man wey dey responsible to keep Ms Ignatova safe - Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis, wey dem sabi as Taki.

“Dem tell us, allegedly one big-time drug guy dey in charge of her physical security,” Oga Reinhardt tell us in im first interview since im retire for late 2023.

“Taki come up more dan once, e no be like say na once. Na recurring theme.”

Dis strike wit di information we don already get - US goment lawyers bin tok for 2019 Ms Ignatova head of security na major organised crime figure for Bulgaria but dem neva name am.

“We get evidence wey dey veri significant, if not di most prolific, drug trafficker of all time for Bulgaria, e dey closely linked to OneCoin - e serve as [Ruja Ignatova] personal security guard,” assistant attorney tok.

Dis na di same “head of security” different US goment lawyer tok say e dey “involve in di disappearance” of Ms Ignatova for court one day earlier.

According to Oga Reinhardt, Ms Ignatova na one ogbenge criminal dan most pipo bin tink.

“Dis be like white-collar criminal combined wit drug trafficking or mafia guy on steroids.”

Dis theory appear to be supported by leaked Europol documents, wey BBC see, e show say - bifor Ms Ignatova disappear for 2017 - Bulgarian police bin establish connection between her and Taki.

Inside di documents, police suspect say Taki dey use OneCoin financial network to launder di proceeds of drug trafficking.

For im native Bulgaria, Taki don almost get mythical status - El Chapo or Pablo Escobar. E dey widely suspected of being di head of Bulgarian organised crime organisation and prolific drug smuggler. Dem dey investigate am and im associates for armed robbery, drug smuggling and murder, but dem neva successfully prosecute am for anytin.

“Wen we tok about Taki, na di head of di mafia for Bulgaria. E dey extremely powerful,” one former Bulgarian deputy minister, Ivan Hristanov tok.

For 2022, Hristanov bin investigate allegations say Taki run one criminal network wit di help of corrupt officials - and im believe say dat na di case.

“Taki na di ghost. You no go see am. You go only hear about am. E dey follow you through oda pipo. If you no listen, you go just disappear from earth.”

“Di only pesin wey fit protect [Ignatova] from all dose investigations, including from foreign agencies - na Taki.”

Di BBC write to di Bulgarian goment about di allegations regarding corrupt officials, dem no respond. Di prosecutor office for di capital Sofia tok say dem “no dey cova up crimes for pesin wey fit don commit crimes”.

Dem believe say Taki dey live for Dubai, wia Ms Ignatova buy luxury penthouse and wia her bank accounts receive tens of millions of dollars from di OneCoin fraud.

While dem no known how Taki and Ms Ignatova meet, or weda e dey involved wit OneCoin from di start, multiple sources say dem get close personal relationship and im be di godfather to her daughter.

One Bulgarian source wey dey close to Ms Ignatova tell di BBC say she fit don pay Taki up to €100,000 a month for protection

Ms Ignatova and Taki also get oda financial ties .

Di Europol document mention complex deal to sell plot of land, on Bulgaria Black Sea coast, wey dey link one of Ms Ignatova companies to Taki wife.

Di secret police documents bin dey passed to di BBC by Frank Schneider, wey be former spy and adviser to Ms Ignatova wey don disappear since.

Frank Schneider disappear afta e follow BBC tok.

E tell us say im old boss dey work wit “crooks” and “gangsters”.

Wen we interview Oga Schneider for im house for France, e dey under house arrest, awaiting extradition to di US in connection to di OneCoin scam. E neva ready to reveal names.

“I no go tell you who dem be, becos I get family... Dis na real serious organised crime.”

But in di end, Ms Ignatova protector fit don turn aggressor.

For 2022, Bulgarian investigative journalist Dimitar Stoyanov and im colleagues for di investigative news outlet bird.bg collect one police report wey authorities see for di home of a murdered Bulgarian police officer.

In di document, one police informant tok say e dey hear one Taki brother-in-law drunkenly dey tok say dem don kill Ms Ignatova on Taki orders for late 2018, and dem dismember her body and dump off di yacht in di Ionian Sea. Oga Stoyanov say dis account dey “veri, veri possible”.

Bulgarian officials confam di authenticity of di police document, and multiple criminal associates of Taki believe di theory say e don kill am, Oga Stoyanov tok.

However, di BBC no fit independently verify di claim.

Di associates tok say Ms Ignatova don become liability to Taki, wey wan eliminate im link to di OneCoin fraud.

Dose associates include Krasimir Kamenov, known as Kuro, wey dey wanted by Interpol on murder charges.

Oga Stoyanov tok say Kuro tell am say e hear wen Taki dey discuss im criminal business in front of Ms Ignatova, and wen Kuro challenge Taki on weda e suppose dey do dat kain tin, Taki answer say: “No worry, she dey good as dead.”

Kuro claim say e don tok to di CIA about Taki, including about di allegation say Taki bin order Ms Ignatova murder. Sources close to Kuro confam to di BBC say dis meeting take place for late 2022.

For May 2023, dem assassinate Kuro for im Cape Town home, along wit im wife and two oda pipo wey dey work for am. South African police still dey search for di killers, but Bulgarian former deputy minister Hristanov believe say Kuro murder dey linked to Taki.

“Dem go need remove certain pipo becos dem know too much about Taki.

“Na public execution wey be like statement. Dey careful wit who you dey deal wit,” e tell us.

Since im publish allegations of Ms Ignatova murder, journalist Dimitar Stoyanov say im and oda colleagues don face death threats, wey don force am to temporarily comot from Bulgaria for di fourth time for im career.

Mr Stoyanov no claim to know motive for any alleged murder, but property records show, and eyewitnesses don tell am say since her disappearance, pipo wey dey connected to Taki dey use some of her Bulgarian properties.

Dem neva arrest Taki ova claims say na im kill Ms Ignatova. Dem neva find her bodi and investigators tok say dem no get enough evidence to prosecute am.

But former IRS investigator Richard Reinhardt tink Ms Ignatova dey likely to be dead. Although e neva see any evidence wey link her death to Taki, e tok say e dey connected to how drugs cartels dey operate.

“Honour no dey among thieves… knowing how violent cartels dey, if [Taki] tink say she be threat to am… e go probably take am out instead of make dem catch am.”

Di BBC write to Taki lawyers about di allegations in dis investigation - dem no respond.

For 2022, FBI place Ms Ignatova on di Ten Most Wanted list - wia she remain today.

Di BBC team behind The Missing Cryptoqueen podcast don get various sight and tip-offs about wia Ms Ignatova dey afta her alleged murder take place - including details of unsuccessful police operation for Greece to catch am for 2022.

E fit be say di rumours of her death na just anoda brilliant manoeuvre to throw evri one off di scent.

If dat na di case, as di years go by, e go likely become increasingly difficult for am to stay on di run.

“At some point e go become like Elvis Presley fit still dey alive… E no dey really veri likely,” Oga Hristanov tok.

According to Mr Reinhardt, di FBI “no just dey keep pipo in [di] Top Ten list for fun”. But dem go only remove someone if dem get “definitive proof” say e don die. And e fit be say Ruja Ignatova neva die.

And e mean say, for now at least, di missing Cryptoqueen remain hunted woman.

If you get information about Dr Ruja Ignatova, you fit email BBC journalists at cryptoqueen@bbc.co.uk