The defendant in the serious accident in the landmark case “Siyana“ remains permanently in custody after the Court of Appeal - Veliko Tarnovo confirmed the most severe measure of detention. This was officially announced by the press center of the judicial institution. The magistrates dismissed the appeal of the driver's defense against the previous ruling of the District Court - Pleven, considering that there are no grounds for imposing a lighter measure.
The composition of the appellate court is categorical that the evidence collected so far in no way shakes the reasonable assumption of the defendant's involvement in the act. The man is facing trial for a serious intentional crime, which carries a high criminal penalty.
It is precisely the severity of the law and the threat of an effective sentence that can motivate the driver to flee. According to the judges, the public danger of the crime itself, as well as that of the perpetrator himself, remains extremely high.
The defendant's record shows numerous previous road offenses. The evidence indicates that he has been sanctioned repeatedly by administrative order for serious violations of the Road Traffic Act, mainly related to exceeding the permitted speed limit.
An even more serious argument for the court was the fact that the man had already been convicted twice in the past for driving while his driving license was revoked.
In their decision, the senior magistrates stated that "the defendant's detention cannot be determined as prolonged or beyond a reasonable period", therefore the measure "detention in custody" appears to be completely adequate and proportionate at the current stage of the process.
The decision of the court in Veliko Tarnovo is final and not subject to subsequent appeal.