site.btaVarna Court Sends Case Against Mayor Back to Sofia Prosecutors

The Varna Regional Court Tuesday returned the case against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev to the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, citing procedural issues.

At a preliminary hearing, the court was expected to decide whether to proceed with the trial against Kotsev, municipal councilors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliev, businessman Ivaylo Marinov, and the mayor's chief of staff, Antoaneta Petrova. Prosecutors argued that the indictment contained no significant procedural violations and requested that the trial move forward.

The defence, however, stressed that the indictment included serious procedural flaws and lacked clarity. Lawyers for Kotsev, Stefanov, and Kateliev also asked the court to reduce their bail, arguing that the amounts were excessive and that there was no evidence they posed a flight risk or would obstruct the proceedings.

Kotsev was detained on July 8, 2025, and the case was taken over by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office. On November 13, the prosecution filed an indictment with the Sofia City Court. Alongside Kotsev, the four other defendants were charged with a total of 12 offences. On November 19, the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that the case should be heard by the Varna Regional Court rather than the Sofia City Court. Judge Svetla Daskalova was randomly drawn by the centralized case allocation system and was assigned to the case. On November 27, Kotsev was released on bail of BGN 200,000. Stefanov and Kateliev were also released on bail.