site.btaVarna Regional Court Sets Bail for Municipal Councillors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov

On Wednesday, the Varna Regional Court ordered bail as a preventive measure for municipal councillors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov. The two are defendants in a case involving an alleged criminal conspiracy to obtain unlawful benefits together with Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. Until now, both men had been under house arrest.

The court set bail at BGN 200,000 for Stefanov and BGN 150,000 for Kateliev. The amounts must be paid within seven days, which is also the deadline for appealing the court’s ruling.

In court, defence attorneys Ivaylo Kostov and Dilyana Agova argued that there was no risk of the defendants fleeing or committing another crime. They noted that the pre-trial investigation has been completed, meaning Stefanov and Kateliev can no longer interfere with the collection of evidence. The defence added that house arrest constitutes a form of deprivation of liberty and argued that the preventive measure should be lifted or replaced with a lighter one, preferably a requirement to report to the authorities.

Prosecutors Ahmed Kokoev and Georgi Ivanov requested that Stefanov and Kateliev remain under house arrest. According to the prosecution, the reasonable suspicion that the two committed the crimes they are charged with has not been eliminated. While prosecutors acknowledged that there is no risk of the defendants fleeing, they maintained that there is a risk of them committing another offense. They added that the charges involve corruption crimes with a high degree of public danger.

The court ruled that the reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct remains in place. It noted new circumstances, namely that the pre-trial proceedings have concluded and the defendants are no longer able to obstruct the gathering of evidence. As there is no risk of flight, the court decided to replace house arrest with bail.

Later on Wednesday, the Varna Regional Court in told BTA that the bail set at BGN 200,000 for municipal councillor Nikolay Stefanov has been paid.

Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliev were detained together with Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev on July 8 as part of an investigation into corruption-related offenses. On July 12, the Sofia City Court ordered that they remain in custody. On October 9, the Sofia Court of Appeal ruled that they be placed under house arrest.

The preliminary hearing in the case against the two municipal councillors and the mayor of Varna is scheduled for February 17, 2026.