A cash bail of 20,000 leva for the Romanian citizen, accused of causing an accident between three cars in the Republic Passage, in which several Bulgarians and Romanians were injured, was set by the District Court in Veliko Tarnovo at its hearing today. The amount must be paid within three days.
The accused Daniel Stoyka, who is 37 years old, married with three children, appeared before the court, as the initial request submitted by the District Prosecutor's Office - Veliko Tarnovo to the District Court - Veliko Tarnovo was for "detention in custody" **** Veliko Tarnovo, was for “detention in custody“. The reasons were that the Romanian citizen, while driving his car in the direction of Gurkovo, violated the rules of the Road Traffic Act by entering the oncoming lane and causing a traffic accident. Thus, through negligence, he caused moderate bodily injuries to six people. From the evidence collected so far, a reasonable assumption has been made that the accused is the author of the act, as well as that there is a significant degree of public danger, which puts him in an emotional state to hide.
The lawyer of the defendant Ventsislav Foti pleaded that the prosecutor's request not be honored, but that a lighter measure be imposed – “cash bail&rdash;”. He said that Stoika's wife and one of their children were also seriously injured, the charge is a crime of negligence, and the accused also stated his readiness to cooperate with the judicial authorities. He is a citizen of a European Union country and has a clean criminal record, the lawyer added.
Daniel Stoika said that he is very sorry for the damage caused and the situation, and does not want to bring additional suffering to his family and the other victims, so he will obey all the court's instructions, but wishes to be released and tried at liberty.
The accused's father was also questioned in the courtroom, who gave details about his son's family situation and also stated that he would take responsibility for paying the bail.
After the court hearing, lawyer Foti commented that today was the first time he had met with his client and that he would still discuss the imposed measure. According to him, it is correct and fair, but it is not clear whether the amount of 20,000 leva can be paid in such a short period of time. The lawyer said that Stoika is devastated by the incident and the tragedy that occurred. He emphasized that the accused has no memory of how the traffic accident occurred, which may also be because he fell asleep at the wheel.
The law provides for imprisonment for a term of one to six years on the charges against the Romanian citizen, with grounds for applying a suspended sentence. Preliminary data indicate that two of the bodily injuries will prove to be serious and then the case will be qualified as more serious, explained lawyer Foti.
The ruling is subject to appeal and/or protest before the District Court – Veliko Tarnovo, within three days from today, and in the event of an appeal or protest, the court will schedule the case for August 11.