The defense of the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, who was released on bail of 200,000 leva, is challenging the sanction, Nova TV reported.
The Varna District Court informed on Friday morning that hours before the bail for the mayor of Varna was to come into force, an appeal was filed by his defense attorney with the District Court. The lawyer challenges the amount of the bail – 200,000 leva, and insists that either no bail be set, or that it be the lightest – a “subpoena”.
The appeal is to be considered by the Court of Appeals – Varna.
On November 28, Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev was officially released, shortly after the court decision arrived at the Varna prison. This happened after within a few hours, the bail of 200,000 leva was paid after donations from sympathizers were collected.
We recall that the Supreme Court of Cassation decided that the case against Blagomir Kotsev should be heard in the Varna District Court. Earlier, the Sofia City Court terminated the court proceedings and sent them to the Supreme Court of Cassation for consideration of the existence of grounds for transferring it to another, equal court.
On November 13, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment with the Sofia City Court in the case against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. It became clear from it that he and four other people are going to court for criminal association for receiving bribes. The prosecutor's office has filed an indictment against the mayor, municipal councilors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliyev, Kotsev's media advisor Antoaneta Petrova, and businessman Ivaylo Marinov. They will be responsible for 12 cases in which they wanted a percentage of public procurement contracts returned to them.
The mayor of the seaside capital was arrested on July 8 during an operation by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The other defendants - businessman Yordan Marinov - were released in July, and since the beginning of October, municipal councilors Yordan Kateliyev and Nikolay Stefanov have been under house arrest.