Bilyana Petrova: The barracks is a "sanatorium" in front of the women's prison, I didn't expect them to release me

I am surprised, I didn't expect them to release me early from prison. These were the first words of Bilyana Petrova, who was released 11 months before serving her 5-year sentence for accepting a bribe. I will not violate the conditions of the early release, she said. Bilyana Petrova was released from pre-trial detention in Burgas at 5:00 p.m. yesterday, BNR reported.

After the Burgas Court of Appeal confirmed the decision of the Sliven Regional Court for early release of Bilyana Petrova, she left the pre-trial detention center excited:

"I can't believe it, I'm still tense. I'm very glad that it's all over. This is a huge ordeal - being in a women's prison. I don't know what it's like in men's prisons, but in a women's prison it's a huge ordeal. The stories about the barracks that I've heard are like a "sanatorium" compared to the discipline in the women's prison. It's hard for me to believe, but I'm happy and I want to get my life back to before I became mayor."

Petrova also commented on the reasons, according to her, for the prosecutor's office to file a protest against the court's decision for early release:

"I explain it to myself because I myself at the time refused to testify falsely against Ivancheva and thwarted the former prosecutor general's idea of a speedy trial. And I don't hide these threats, I've always received them from the day of my arrest and after my arrest. So this was an expected line of behavior.".

One of the reasons for the early release is the deteriorating health condition:

"This is a broken pelvis and spine. I have developed very severe osteoporosis".

I paid a high price, I lost my mother, now I hope they will release Desislava Ivancheva as well, Bilyana Petrova also said.