After nearly 11 months of detention in Serbia, Nikola Nikolov Pascal was extradited to our country. He is the main defendant in a case known as the “Customs“ affair, including charges of organized crime, official misconduct, money laundering, bribery and smuggling. With Pascal's arrival, the pre-trial proceedings are expected to enter an active phase. This was confirmed to BTV by lawyer Lyudmil Rangelov, the defense attorney of another key defendant – the former director of the “Customs“ Agency; Petya Bankova.
“There has been no procedural development in the case since November last year. Now that all the defendants are at the disposal of the Bulgarian authorities, the case will finally start moving“, commented the lawyer. Rangelov.
According to him, the extradition procedure from Serbia is traditionally complicated and slow, but in this case it developed within the usual time frames, in view of the multiple opportunities for appeal.
It is not clear whether the prosecution will request permanent arrest for Nikola Pascal. According to attorney Rangelov, there is no legal need for such a measure, especially given that all other defendants are at large. “There is also evidence of Pascal's deteriorating health. Before a decision is made to detain him, he will be examined at the Ministry of Interior Hospital“, the attorney explained.
When asked whether Pascal's interrogation could lead to new defendants, the attorney was skeptical:
“If Pascal provides information that incriminates other individuals, there may be new defendants. But I do not believe he will cooperate“, Rangelov indicated.