Balgarianovinite.com The Continue the Change (CC) party expressed on Monday strong indignation at the decision for the lawfully elected Varna Mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, to be transferred from the detention facility to prison – against the backdrop of the court’s refusal to consider the request submitted by his defence for a change of his remand measure, and in the absence of a final conviction. On the same grounds, former Sofia deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov has also been transferred, the CC said in a statement published on Facebook.
The Sofia City Prosecution Office told BTA that this is the lawful procedure – when the case against a defendant held in permanent detention enters the judicial phase, i.e. the investigation has been completed, the defendant is transferred to the relevant prison. Art. 244 (1) of the Implementation of Penal Sanctions and Detention in Custody Act reads: The accused and the defendants shall be sent to the prisons on a written warrant of the competent prosecutor after the investigative body has drawn up a written opinion, or on a written warrant by the judge after the indictment has been submitted to the court.
On Thursday, the Sofia City Prosecution Office submitted an indictment against Kotsev to the Sofia City Court. He will stand trial together with four co-defendants charged for conspiring to commit bribery and coercion in order to obtain an economic benefit. Barbutov, charged with participation in an organized criminal group and offering a bribe, was indicted a day later.
“Such synchronized actions raise serious questions about the observance of the principles of the rule of law and about whether a dangerous precedent is being created, in which administrative decisions outpace or render judicial oversight meaningless. This concerns fundamental constitutional guarantees – the presumption of innocence, the right to defence, and the right to a fair trial,” Continue the Change’s statement reads.
The party called for full transparency in the cases and for strict adherence to the law. “Bulgarian citizens have the right to institutions that act independently, consistently and without political motives, and justice must be a guarantee, not a threat,” CC added.
Elected mayor on the ticket of the opposition Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria in November 2023 – one of very few opposition mayors, including also that of Sofia, Kotsev was arrested on July 8 following a tip-off for corruption by a failed public procurement tenderer. He was charged with participation in an organized criminal group accused of engaging in abuse of office, bribery and money laundering. The court has consistently rejected his applications for release from custody, and accepted the prosecutors’ argument that he may interfere while the pre-trial proceedings were going on. On Wednesday, November 12, his deputy Pavel Popov said Kotsev will be running Varna Municipality from behind bars after the order naming Popov to sit in for him expired on November 1.
Kotsev has denied any wrongdoing and insists that he is the victim of political repression. The last time he lost an appeal of his detention, one dissenting judge wrote in the reasoning that the reasonable assumption of Kotsev’s involvement in the crimes is not currently strong enough to justify keeping him in custody. He concluded that Kotsev should be released on his own recognizance, but the other two judges thought otherwise. Supporters say Kotsev’s arrest is part of a government campaign targeting the opposition. Large-scale protests in his support have been staged in Varna, Sofia and other major cities. Continue the Change Express Indignation at Varna Mayor’s Transfer to Prison, Sofia City Prosecution Office Says Its Lawful Procedure 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-17 19:33:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
