The District Court in Varna is making a second attempt to hold a key dispositional hearing in the large-scale criminal case against the city's acting mayor, Blagomir Kotsev.
The trial, which contains a total of 70 volumes of materials, is being resumed after being temporarily suspended due to the parliamentary immunities of some of the defendants during the elections.
The indictment, filed by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, includes a total of 12 crimes. Mayor Blagomir Kotsev has been charged with serious charges of criminal conspiracy, solicitation of bribes and exercise of coercion.
The defendants: Who are on the bench in court?
Along with the Varna mayor, four other key figures from local government and business are standing trial:
- Yordan Kateliev and Nikolai Stefanov – municipal councilors, whose candidate-deputy immunities were the reason for the temporary suspension of the case in the spring.
- Antoaneta Petrova – head of the mayor's office.
- Ivaylo Marinov – a well-known local businessman.
The trial is being conducted by Judge Rapporteur Svetla Daskalova, and the state prosecution is represented by prosecutors Ahmed Kokoev and Georgi Ivanov.
Anonymous witnesses, spy scandals and claims for thousands of euros
The trial is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic and scandalous in Varna's history due to several specific details:“
„One of the injured parties in the case has already requested to be constituted as a private prosecutor and has filed a serious civil claim against Blagomir Kotsev for non-pecuniary damages in the amount of 30,000 euros.“
— A source from the sidelines of the District Court – Varna
Secret testimony: Two witnesses with strictly protected, secret identities have been called into the case.
Espionage charges: One of the main clear witnesses for the prosecution – former municipal employee Bilyana Yakova – filed an official complaint in court. She claims that the personal security guard appointed to her by the state was turned by the Ministry of Interior into a “tool for illegal surveillance and espionage“ in favor of the mayor. For this reason, the court officially obliged the Ministry of Interior to provide a full report on the expenses and reports on her security.
Timeline: How did the case reach Varna?
The investigation was initially filed with the Sofia City Court, but at the end of last year the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) made a lightning decision to change the local jurisdiction. Since the five defendants and 25 out of a total of 28 witnesses live in Varna, the case was sent to the seaside capital for reasons of saving time and money.
If today's pre-trial hearing fails to move the trial forward on the merits, the court has scheduled a reserve date for the middle of next month.