The Plovdiv District Court is expected to consider the request for the permanent detention of the second defendant in the case concerning the murder of businessman Iliyan Filipov. The 42-year-old man has been charged with aiding Slavcho Megerov, whom the prosecution identifies as the gunman.
The Plovdiv District Prosecutor’s Office will request the most severe detention measure – “detention in custody”. Until the request is filed, the defendant has been detained for up to 72 hours by order of the supervising prosecutor.
The charge is aiding and abetting
According to the prosecution, the man deliberately assisted Megerov in carrying out the premeditated murder. At a briefing, prosecutor Dimitar Molev stated: “As an accomplice, he deliberately assisted the gunman in pulling the trigger and firing the shot”. The defendant has not been convicted, and the allegations concerning his role remain subject to proof in the criminal proceedings.
According to police, the second defendant had been declared wanted and was detained in Pazardzhik. The director of the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, said that the man had been hiding in various locations. Police and prosecutors stated that, at present, there is no evidence of the involvement of other individuals.
How the second charge came about
Iliyan Filipov was shot dead on September 30 in Plovdiv. On October 1, the prosecution charged 51-year-old Slavcho Megerov with premeditated murder. The court ordered that he be detained in custody.
During the investigation, the weapon allegedly used to commit the crime was also found. The pistol was admitted to the pre-trial proceedings as physical evidence, and an expert examination linked it to the fatal shot.
The investigation continues under the supervision of the Plovdiv District Prosecutor’s Office. Following the court’s ruling, it will become clear whether the second defendant will remain in custody together with Megerov.
Sources: bntnews.bg, btvnovinite.bg, nova.bg