Following the decision of the Sofia Court of Appeal on Tuesday evening to keep Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev in custody, sharp political reactions followed in parliament. We Continue the Change announced that ALDE, of which they are a part in the European Parliament, had requested a suspension of EU funds for Bulgaria, NOVA reported.
„We have witnessed yet another outrage in the Bulgarian justice system and if citizens think that it does not concern them, what became clear in the late hours of the night is that ALDE has been requested to suspend EU funds for Bulgaria. "Because of the big D's whim, 6 billion euros will not reach citizens and companies," said the chairman of "We continue the change" Assen Vassilev.
European Commission spokespeople confirmed that they had received a letter from the liberal group in the European Parliament "Renew Europe". It demands that Bulgaria stop paying the second tranche of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The reason is the case of Blagomir Kotsev and the way the Anti-Corruption Commission operates. The European Commission stated that they would consider the request and respond to it.
Against this backdrop, another protest was held in Varna to protect the mayor. People also blocked a key intersection near the municipality building. The protesters are demanding the immediate release of Kotsev, who in turn promised not to betray Varna and called on the prosecutor's office to request his removal from the mayor's chair, but to release him to his family. He stressed that he would not give up on himself.