site.btaCourt Remands Nigerian National in Custody for Using Forged Document at Sofia Airport

At the request of the Sofia District Prosecution Office, a court has ordered the pre-trial detention of a Nigerian national who presented a forged document to an official at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, the prosecution said on Tuesday.

The man, identified by the initials I.A., has been charged with criminal liability for presenting a forged residence permit for Bulgaria. According to the prosecution, on January 9 at around 9:41 a.m., during checks carried out under compensatory measures for passengers leaving the country, I.A. presented the forged document to an officer at the Sofia Airport Border Control Checkpoint.

Pre-trial proceedings have been opened in the case, and I.A. was initially detained for up to 72 hours.

A prosecutor submitted a motion to the Sofia District Court seeking the measure of remand in custody. The court agreed with the request and imposed the most severe preventive measure. The ruling may be appealed before the Sofia City Court, the prosecution added.