„Nikola Nikolov – Pascal was not released on bail only because of his health condition. This was stated by his lawyer Dimitar Markovski, quoted by bTV.
He rejected the claims that his client Nikolov was released in exchange for a deal.
„The court reasoned its decision that there were no grounds for him to remain in custody. This decision was legally sound, not the result of backstage agreements. I presented extensive documentation about his health condition and requested experts to assess whether it was dangerous for him to be in custody. A proposal was made for permanent arrest. It was insisted that he remain in pretrial detention until the very end. The court answered why Pascal should not remain in custody. Pascal spoke to investigators, one of the arguments for releasing him on bail,“ he said.
Nikola Nikolov, extradited after a year-long procedure from Serbia, is accused of participating in an organized criminal group for smuggling together with the former director of the “Customs“ Agency, Petya Bankova, the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zhivko Kotsev and three other people.
At the same time, Emil lawyer Georgiev noted that the detention of Blagomir Kotsev and other public figures looks more like a preliminary punishment than a measure of procedural security.
“In our country, people are often detained first, and then the collection of evidence begins. This is contrary to the practice of the European Court of Human Rights,“ the lawyer said.