The Sofia Court of Appeals has convicted former police officers Georgi Malinski and Lyubka Gecheva in the case of the serious accident on the Ring Road in Sofia, in which a French citizen died. The court has overturned the acquittals at first instance and has imposed suspended sentences of 2 years for Malinski and 1 year for Gecheva, media outlets reported on the decision on Wednesday. According to the information, the motives will be announced later.
The two former Interior Ministry employees are accused of escorting Dimitar Lyubenov after a check-up, instead of taking action to detain him and report the case. It is Lyubenov who is the defendant in the separate case for the September 25, 2022 accident, in which a 64-year-old French tourist died.
According to data cited in the court materials and in the coverage of the case, Lyubenov was driving his car at high speed, after using alcohol and cocaine. After the impact, the deceased's wife was seriously injured. The Sofia City Court later sentenced Lyubenov to 18 years in prison.
The first instance had acquitted Malinski and Gecheva due to lack of evidence. Now the appeals court has accepted the opposite and has admitted that the two are guilty of failure to perform official duties, and according to what was reflected in the court, the act was also related to an attempt to cover up their own actions.
The case caused a wide public response after the incident, as it became one of the most commented examples of the severe consequences of high-speed accidents and suspicions of a police umbrella. The appeals court's decision is another stage in the years-long case, and it remains possible that it will be attacked further in accordance with the law.
Sources: BTA, DIR.bg, Novini.bg