The Sofia City Court (SCC) has moved forward with the case against businessman Vasil Bozhkov for an organized crime group (OCG), although one of the defendants did not appear at the hearing today.
The defendant Vasil Bozhkov appeared in court in person together with his defense attorney Georgi Gatev. The defense requested that the case be moved forward, while prosecutor Angel Kanev proposed that it be postponed due to the absence of the defendant who did not appear.
"According to the court, the provisions of Art. 269 of the Criminal Procedure Code should not be applied mechanically, but should take into account the meaning and purpose of these provisions, namely to give the court the opportunity to react in case of bad faith behavior on the part of some of the defendants," said judge Ivan Koev.
During the court hearing, it became clear that one of the experts and one of the defense attorneys are brothers, which creates a conflict of interest. After a brief discussion, the judge disqualified expert Tsvetomir Atanasov.
"The examination of the case in today's court hearing in the absence of one of the defendants would not prevent the disclosure of the objective truth," the judge emphasized. He noted that the right to defense of the defendant who did not appear will not be violated, since the examination is taking place with his explicit consent.
The court hearing in the case will continue on June 12 at 2 p.m. with the hearing of the remaining two experts. On June 13 at 9 a.m., the parties will make evidentiary requests in the current situation.
"The court has decided to proceed with the case," announced Judge Koev, emphasizing the goal of considering the case within a reasonable time frame without unnecessary delays.