European Parliament Passes Law to Restrict Cash Payments to €10,000
The European Parliament has voted to impose a €10,000 limit on cash payments within the European Union
Georgi Enev, the armored bank car driver, who pulled off an audacious theft of BGN 1.5 M back in June 2012, will serve 12 years in jail.
The rule on appeal was issued by the Supreme Court of Cassations Wednesday, reaffirming the one of the Plovdiv Court of Appeals from October 2013.
At the end of July 2013, the lower instance sentenced Enev to 8 years behind bars.
Enev was charged with large-scale embezzlement of BGN 1.5 M from three banks and one security company, which called for 10 to 20 years of jail. He also faced confiscation of part or all of his assets and could be banned from practicing certain professions.
The stolen money was never found.
In their motives for increasing the verdict, the Plovdiv appellate magistrates noted that they rejected the regional court's extenuating circumstances – such as Enev voicing regret for his actions and his difficult financial situation.
They stressed the said circumstances were given too much weight to and the lower instance has demonstrated excessive leniency. Penalty amounting to eight years in prison would not be conducive to achieving the purposes of sentencing. Moreover, such punishment would encourage potential perpetrators of similar serious crimes, concluded the appellate judges.
The verdict was upheld in its other parts. Enev, who pleaded guilty, has been stripped of the right to hold jobs involving being responsible for money or providing security for the next 11 years.
The rule was then appealed before the Supreme Court of Cassations.
On June 22, 2012, police in Plovdiv were alerted about an abandoned armored cash transporter, and upon arriving they also found that the vehicle was empty.
The equivalent of BGN 1.5 M in various currencies was missing and the cash transporter's driver immediately became the suspect. The man was nowhere to be found and his Opel Cadet discovered abandoned some 15 km away from the city of Plovdiv. Several days later, Enev entered the Plovdiv Prosecutor's Office accompanied by his lawyer.
In the aftermath of the adventurous crime, Internet forums in Bulgaria were overflowing with messages of support and encouragement for the wanted man. The widespread support begs comparison with the mysterious case of the so-called D.B. Cooper back in the 70s.
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