If Dian Ivanov appears, the prosecutor's office must interrogate him. I deeply doubt that he will remain in his current procedural capacity in these proceedings. My assumption is that he may be brought as a defendant - for complicity in a corruption crime or even as a sole perpetrator.
This was stated by the lawyer of the mayor of Varna Blagomir Kotsev Nikolay Vladimirov in the program “Offensive“ on NOVA NEWS. “I have no information about the location of Dian Ivanov. I do not know him personally“, he also said. According to him, the prosecutor's office has presented new evidence, but not the statement from Dian Ivanov. “All of Bulgaria knows about this statement, but apparently the prosecutor's office – no“, commented Vladimirov.
He emphasized that Ivanov's initial statements — given hours after Kotsev's arrest — are the valid ones from a procedural point of view “This statement has no procedural value“, he added.
“The only evidence collected so far is the statements of Plamenka Dimitrova“, the defense attorney specified. According to him, Ivanov's statements lack specifics. “In them, Kotsev is presented as a corrupt and bad person, while he (Ivanov) is the good one. They do not befit a person with his legal status“, the lawyer said.
The lawyer emphasized that Dian Ivanov claims that he was present at a meeting between Kotsev and Plamenka Dimitrova, but was at a neighboring table and did not hear what they were talking about. “The meeting took place in a restaurant, not in an office“, he explained.
“A representative of the company that won the public procurement was also present at the meeting“, Vladimirov added and noted that the public procurement was necessary, since the previous contract had expired.“
“The municipality should have hurried, otherwise the school children would have gone hungry“, he argued. “I hope that the SRCs will be presented in future meetings. I wonder why the prosecutor's office has not been able to reproduce them on paper for six months“, the lawyer added.““I am not bothered by the publication of the SRCs. I appeal for them to be shown“, Vladimirov emphasized. According to him, Plamenka Dimitrova's testimony is also questionable. “In them she meets the mayor quite by chance“, he noted.