Please release me with a lighter measure of detention.
This was said in the Sofia City Court by Nikola Nikolov-Pascal, whom the prosecution wants to be detained in custody after his extradition from Serbia. He left for the neighboring country two weeks before April 3, 2024, when the former head of customs Petya Bankova, Stefan Dimitrov and his father Marin were arrested, said lawyer Dimitar Markovski, who is defending him. There he was looking for a famous neurosurgeon to treat him. Nikolov did not know Zhivko Kotsev and Petya Bankova and had already been in custody in Serbia for 5 months and another 6 under house arrest there. In addition, Pascal himself asked to return home sooner, he was not convicted and does not even have a criminal record with the police.
On April 8 last year, Nikolov underwent an MRI scan in Serbia, which showed that he had a brain tumor. On April 6 this year, while he was under house arrest in Belgrade, he was urgently taken to hospital with an epileptic seizure and paralysis of parts of his body. An operation was not possible at this stage and he is being referred for therapy.
"He has given explanations regarding the investigation, he is not a public danger. Why should we send him to the bugs in the detention center?", asked lawyer Markovski.
Prosecutors Moisev and Nenkova generally described the evidence collected against Nikolov. There are testimonies of witnesses and defendants, SRCs, photographs, expert reports. Many photos of Pascal with Stefan and Marin Dimitrov, who were in contact with Petya Bankova and the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Zhivko Kotsev, who are also accused, were found. Through them, they provided corridors for smuggled cigarettes. Stefan Dimitrov and Nikola Nikolov looked for where to buy the cigarettes, gave directions for movement along the route, provided drivers. They also traveled together to Romania and Serbia. Their involvement in 3 cases of trucks with smuggled cigarettes has been proven. One of them was loaded in Serbia.
The court will rule at 5 p.m., 24 Chasa reported.