site.btaJudge Orders Transfer of Varna Mayor Kotsev from Sofia Prison to Varna

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".