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Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation has annulled the 20-year prison term of Bulgarian Evelin Banev AKA Brendo for drug trafficking and returned the case for retrial to the Appellate Court of Milan.
The Milan-based court is to hold a new trial within a year, according to Bulgaria’s Legal World magazine and the 24 Hours daily.
The decision was taken at a 2-hour meeting.
Together with the appeal of Banev’s sentence, the three judges at Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation also reviewed the appeals of 9 other people convicted under the so-called ‘Cocaine Kings’ affair, including Bulgarians Tinko Vasilev Garev, Nikolay Silvo Yovchev, Zahari Veselinov Markov, Matey Boev.
The other appeals were rejected by the Rome-based court, meaning that the sentences issued by the Appellate Court of Milan are final for them.
Garev is currently serving a different prison term in Milan, Markov is under house arrest in Rome, and Boev is also in an Italian prison.
On July 9, 2013, Banev was issued a 20-year prison term by an Italian court.
Banev was extradited to Italy after his arrest in Bulgaria in May 2012 in a special police operation codenamed "The Cocaine Kings."
In Bulgaria, Banev is tried for money laundering in the amount of BGN 21 M.
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