The Veliko Tarnovo Court of Appeal finally confirmed the measure of "house arrest" for the five defendants from the rock group "Hells Angels". The decision was made today after an open court hearing, during which the court rejected the protest of the District Prosecutor's Office in Veliko Tarnovo.
The Court of Appeal accepted that from the evidence collected in the case, there is a reasonable assumption of the participation of each of the defendants in the criminal activity under investigation. However, the court considered that the danger of the defendants committing another crime was of a lower intensity than that required for the most severe measure of "detention in custody".
"The investigation into the case lasted more than seven years, during which almost all relevant evidence was collected," the court's reasoning states.
Denial of leadership
In the courtroom today, Emil Yordanov - Cherniya, Miroslav Pashov - Pasha and their two defense attorneys stated that they wanted their house arrest to be changed to the mildest measure - a recognizance. They categorically denied being leaders of a criminal group.
"We will state an analysis of the evidence and that the measure determined by the District Court is unlawful and severe", said Ventsislav Foti, lawyer for Emil Yordanov.
Miroslav Pashov - Pasha indicated that he believes in the judicial system and expects the court to be objective. His lawyer Milen Nikolov added that the last date incriminated in the indictment is 2018.
The reasons of the appeal court
According to the appellate instance, it cannot be assumed that there is a real risk that the defendants will conceal evidence significant to the investigation or influence witnesses with a measure other than detention. The court made this conclusion in view of the fact that the investigation has been ongoing for over seven years.
During this period, witnesses were questioned, including before a judge, numerous written evidence was submitted and almost all the facts relevant to the case were collected.
The charges against the group
A total of 12 people were brought as defendants in the pre-trial proceedings, five of whom were charged with participating in an organized criminal group formed in 2014 and operating until 2025. The remaining seven people are accused of committing various crimes on behalf of the organization - robberies, coercion, threats of violence and causing bodily harm.
The group was dismantled on August 7 during a large-scale operation by the Directorate of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Veliko Tarnovo. During the operation, cold weapons, boxing gloves, spray cans, batons, handcuffs, large sums of money, mobile phones and computer equipment were seized.
The leaders of the group are threatened with sentences of between 5 and 15 years in prison, as well as confiscation of property and fines.