site.btaSofia City Court Leaves Varna Mayor, Three Other Individuals in Custody

The Sofia City Court has ordered that Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, municipal councillors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov and businessman Ivaylo Marinov be remanded in custody. The court's ruling, announced late Friday evening, is subject to appeal before a higher court.

Earlier in the week, the four individuals were charged and detained for 72 hours as part of an investigation into a corruption crime in Varna. The Sofia City Prosecution Office requested that they be held in permanent custody.

Judge Stoyan Mihov said that the evidence points to a reasonable suspicion of the existence of an organized crime group and the probable involvement of the defendants in a crime. While he said that the individuals do not pose a flight risk, Mihov noted that there is a danger they may commit offenses.

Kotsev's lawyer, Milen Ralchev, told reporters he would appeal the court's ruling, adding that the case should have been handled by the Varna District Court and investigated by the city’s prosecution office.