The Sofia Court of Appeal left Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev in custody, BTA reported. The magistrates decided to keep both municipal councilors Yordan Kateliyev and Nikolay Stefanov in custody. Only businessman Ivaylo Marinov will be released on bail, because according to the court there is no evidence of a connection with the other three.
In order to keep Kotsev, Kateliyev and Stefanov in custody, the court recorded not only that there is a reasonable assumption of authorship of the act they are accused of, but even that it is a larger-scale criminal activity.
Although there is no danger of them absconding, the three could commit a crime if they are at large. Kotsev holds a high position and this gives him the authority to exercise the activities for which he is currently accused, the reasons say.
The four have been accused and detained in connection with an investigation into a corruption crime in the city.
The pleadings in the court session lasted for over four hours. The court's decision was pronounced after midnight and after a deliberation that lasted nearly four hours.
The court wrote in its reasons that it is within the competence of the prosecutor's office to decide where to start an investigation and whether it should also be conducted against an unknown perpetrator.
According to the court panel, the testimony of the main witness Plamenka Dimitrova was not isolated. In the courtroom, it became clear that a municipal employee explained how every time meetings were held on announced public procurements, "20 problems to be solved" were cited, which meant 20 percent. The money was "returned" Stefanov.
At the beginning of the hearing, the deputy chairman of the Sofia Court of Appeal, Alexander Zhelyazkov, called for no political activity in the courtroom. There is an extreme political opposition and political controversy that is focusing public attention on today's hearing, Zhelyazkov said. Under these circumstances, the court must remain impartial and independent, he added.
The prosecutor's office's habit is to detain for 72 hours. Kotsev's appearance before the city court could have been done with a summons. He is the mayor of Varna, not an unknown person, said Kotsev's lawyer Ina Lulcheva. According to her, the investigation in the municipality of Varna is political in nature. There are many things outside the trial in this case that speak of a political nature. The accusation is that a woman says how someone once asked for a bribe, but this happens after a public procurement has been completed, Lulcheva said.
This investigation violates the European Convention on Human Rights, she said and made an analogy with the case against Navalny. In this case, there are unidentified individuals offering bribes. Plamenka Dimitrova's testimony is contradictory. And in this case, Kotsev and the others were arrested 10 months after the first data, although this could have happened much earlier, Lulcheva pointed out. She emphasized that all interrogations were conducted on July 8 and 9 after the mayor's arrest. This means that evidence was sought after his arrest, the defense attorney of the Varna mayor also stated. Lawyer Lulcheva added that the case is being brought against a representative of the opposition by an interested party who has been winning contracts for 11 years.
The case is being brought by an incompetent prosecutor's office, the pre-trial proceedings were initiated in violation of the law, said Lulcheva and recalled her thesis that the first decision to detain Kotsev and the other three was also taken by an incompetent court.
I will not hide, said the mayor of Varna and said that most of all he wants the truth to be revealed.
Prosecutor Kalin Bliznakov, in turn, said that there is enough evidence collected against the four. Regarding the case of Dian Nikolov, who announced yesterday that he had given his testimony under pressure, Bliznakov commented that until he is questioned, his testimony has the value of evidence.
The court noted in its reasoning that it was highly critical of this testimony.
According to Bliznakov, if Kotsev and the other three are at large, they could influence witnesses. The reversal of Nikolov's testimony is an indicator of exactly this, Bliznakov said. According to the investigating prosecutor, there is evidence of political patronage.
In the courtroom today, there were representatives of diplomatic missions in our country, including France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. MPs, relatives, including Kotsev's wife, were present.
As of today, there is already very serious monitoring of what is happening in Bulgaria, commented to journalists after the end of the meeting, the co-chair of the parliamentary group “We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria“ Nikolay Denkov. You know that from the point of view of the Report on the rule of law, continuous weaknesses are shown, for the last year there has even been a retreat in this regard. I am sure that this and other processes that are currently underway will be used as a test of where the Bulgarian justice system is, added Denkov.
Instead of talking about justice, about what really happened, we saw a process in which no one discussed the arguments on the merits and why we are here, Denkov also commented. What was clearly stated is that with regard to Blagomir Kotsev, there are no serious arguments for participation in a corruption scheme, but based on an argument that was seriously refuted by the defense, that he holds a high position, which is why there was a greater danger, he remained detained. These arguments did not sound convincing, Denkov said.
I was inside the courtroom the whole time and what I can say is that we live in a conquered country, commented Kiril Petkov for his part. He added that today at 6:30 p.m. a protest will be held in front of the Courthouse in Sofia.
The mayor of Varna, the two municipal councilors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov, as well as businessman Ivaylo Marinov are accused of participating in an organized criminal group that operated on the territory of Varna since July 2024. until November 19, 2024, with the aim of committing crimes in office, bribery and money laundering in concert, as the group was created for a selfish purpose and officials participated in it.
Kotsev, Kateliyev and Stefanov are also accused of having requested in August 2024 an amount equal to 15% excluding VAT of BGN 1,523,446, representing the value of a public procurement contract with the subject matter of “Preparation and delivery of ready-made food, daily for the needs of social services for children and adults at the Municipality of Varna, including delivery of ready-made food for children and adults in need of a specific diet“, in exchange for influence in the decision-making of an official in connection with his service.
After hearing the court's decision, Kotsev was laconic that this could happen to anyone.