The Varna District Court has suspended the criminal proceedings in the case against Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, BTA reports. Charges have been filed against four more people in this case - municipal councilors Yordan Kateliyev and Nikolay Stefanov, businessman Yordan Marinov and expert Antoaneta Petrova.
Mayor Kotsev's defense argued before the court that violations were committed in the preparation of the indictment against the five. According to lawyer Ina Lulcheva, the circumstantial part of the indictment is contradictory. In her words, it would be best for the case to be dismissed or returned to the prosecutor's office. The defense also requested that Kotsev's measure be changed to a "subscription" or that the amount of his bail be reduced.
Councilors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliyev are candidates for deputies for the 52nd National Assembly, the defense lawyers of the two defendants indicated. The lawyers' position was that until the results of the vote, which is due on April 19, the two have criminal immunity. Stefanov's lawyer - Dilyana Agova, also indicated that the indictment is "chaotic" and requested that the case be returned to the prosecutor's office. Her position was also supported by the defense of Yordan Kateliyev. His lawyer Ivaylo Kostov requested a change in his client's measure to a recognizance or a reduction in the amount of his bail. The defense of Ivaylo Marinov and Antoaneta Petrova also expressed the opinion that the indictment is contradictory and this requires the case to be returned to the prosecutor's office.
All lawyers said that an unknown member of parliament is named in the case, because of whom the defendants for participation in a criminal association demanded money that was not theirs. Regarding this argument, prosecutor Ahmed Kokoev from the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office said that a new case has been opened for what happened around the unknown deputy, which is at the investigation stage.
In its ruling, the Varna District Court indicated that the proceedings will be suspended because councilors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliyev are candidates for members of parliament for the 52nd National Assembly. The suspension will be valid until the election results are announced, which will be held on April 19. Until then, all defendants will remain under the same detention measures that are currently imposed on them, the court also ruled.
The ruling is subject to appeal before the Court of Appeal in Varna.
BTA recalls that the mayor of Varna was detained on July 8 last year, and the case was taken over by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office. On November 13, the SGP filed an indictment with the Sofia City Court. Four more defendants were brought to trial together with Kotsev for a total of 12 crimes. On November 19, the Supreme Court of Cassation decided that the case should be heard in the Varna District Court, and not by the Sofia City Court. Through the centralized system for random allocation of cases, Svetla Daskalova was appointed as the judge for the trial. On November 27, Kotsev was released on bail of 200,000 leva. Stefanov and Kateliyev were also released on bail.