A Greek court completely acquitted a Bulgarian accused of migrant trafficking in our southern neighbor, reported FOCUS.
Toshko Todorov-Mashora from the village of Stoletovo in Karlovy Vary was threatened with 224 years in prison because 28 illegal migrants were caught in a camper still registered in his name near the town of Drama. Over the years, the case has sparked many protests and spurred changes to our legislation relating to European Arrest Warrants.
The nightmare in Toshko Todorov-Mashora's life began at the end of 2021, when he was arrested in Plovdiv under a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Greek authorities.
"The saga lasted three years. A saga that brought me many misfortunes - high blood pressure, diabetes, loans, headaches, insomnia, prison", Toshko Todorov-Mashora told BNT.
"I have no words to describe the situation we were in then. The period we were in was particularly difficult for the whole family," says Stephanie Todorova, daughter.
At the heart of the problem is the sale of a camper, which Todorov offered to buyers from Pleven two years before his arrest.
"I sell a camper with a notarized contract at the notary in Karlovo and people pay for it and leave," explained Toshko Todorov-Mashora.
However, the buyer did not change the ticket and soon after, the Greek police found a bus near Drama, full of 28 migrants. And in the car was the document of the old owner Toshko Todorov.
"The Greek side always directs its production to this owner who is on a coupon. Greek law provides for between 8 and 10 years per person for the number of migrants, so what my client expected was 224 years," explained Gancho Ganchev, Todorov's lawyer.
Threatened with 224 years in prison, Todorov is accused of being the leader of a criminal trafficking group, although at the time of the capture of the migrants he was working in Bulgaria and, according to reports from the Border Police, he did not leave the country. Therefore, the Plovdiv Court refused to extradite him.
A year later, however, he was arrested in Burgas and spent a few more days in custody, because he was not removed from the search system.
"We have condemned the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Bulgaria - the case is currently in the Supreme Court," said Gancho Ganchev, Todorov's lawyer.
Now Todorov is completely exonerated, and although there is one more instance, the Greek prosecutor's office has stated that it will not protest. The buyer of the camper was arrested, who after an agreement was sentenced to 9 years in prison in Greece. However, Todorov is in no hurry to plan a sea in our southern neighbor.
"Until I see the document and at least five or six months pass, I won't risk going because I don't know what their system is like,", he commented.
The case precipitated a European directive to change our legislation and European Arrest Warrants will now be appealable both here and in the country that issued them. However, Greece has not yet changed its law.