The Sofia City Court will hold Tuesday the trial against former Defense Minister from the Three-way Coalition cabinet, Nikolay Tsonev, on bribing charges.

Tsonev will face the magistrates on accusations that together with Sofia City Court judge Petar Santirov and financial consultant Tencho Popov he attempted to offer a bribe to investigator, Petyo Petrov, to forge evidence that would lead to a positive outcome of an investigation against him that he damaged the state by BGN 120 M.

The first trial was scheduled for October 20 but had to be postponed because at the same time the ex minister was to appear in a different courtroom before military magistrates over 4 deals signed about 10 years ago, during his term as Head of the Defense Ministry’s Social Agency for the supply of military aircraft equipment.

Currently, the defendants are at large after being released from custody on bail. Tsonev was acquitted last week by the Sofia City Court on charges for abuse of power over a public procurement tender.