Judge Orders Transfer of Varna Mayor Kotsev from Sofia Prison to Varna 2025

Balgarianovinite.com Judge Svetla Daskalova, the reporting judge in the case against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, ordered his transfer from the Sofia Prison to Varna Prison, the Regional Court said on Friday. In a second order, she scheduled an open court hearing for November 27 to examine the motions submitted by Kotsev’s defence for the revocation or modification of his remand measure.
Earlier on Friday, Daskalova’s name was drawn at random as reporting judge in the case by Stoyan Popov, District Court Deputy Chair and Head of the Criminal Division. The case has been filed in the Varna District Court, Popov noted, adding that two jurors will be included in the panel in addition to Daskalova. 
On Thursday evening, citizens gathered for a protest titled “Freedom for the Political Prisoners” in front of the new National Assembly’s building, rallying against what they described as judicial arbitrariness in the country. The protest was prompted by the transfer of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and former Sofia deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov from the detention facility to prison. The event was organized by the Continue the Change (CC) political party.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) ruled that the case against Kotsev and four co-defendants be heard by the Varna Regional Court rather than the Sofia City Court. 
Kotsev, 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, 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 crime group accused of engaging in abuse of office, bribery and money laundering. The court 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. Kotsev and four co-defendants were indicted on November 13 for conspiracy to commit bribery and coercion in order to obtain an economic benefit.
Kotsev’s Continue the Change party insist that his 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. The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament where Continue the Change is affiliated, sees Kotsev’s extended detention as “an onslaught on democratic institutions and rule of law in Bulgaria”. Judge Orders Transfer of Varna Mayor Kotsev from Sofia Prison to Varna 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-21 20:01:00 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