Four of the convicts in the assassination case of Bulgarian ex-Premier Andrey Lukanov made statements during Thursday's hearing of the trial in the Appellative Court in Sofia.

Five people, including two Ukrainians, are appealing against their life sentences. Two Ukrainians, Bulgarian entrepreneur Angel Vassilev and his driver Yuri Lenev, as well as Georgi Georgiev were sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of November 2003.

One of the two Ukrainian suspects - Alexander Russov - is pointed by prosecutors as the perpetrator of the 1996 assault against Lukanov, one of the leading figures in the country's former communist regime. Russov recalled that he had been kidnapped in Ukraine, then transported to Russia and later to Bulgaria. The man also pointed out that Bulgaria's criminal experts have pressured him and have forced him to admit that he committed the crime. "But I am not guilty and I haven't done it," Russov stated.

Bulgarian entrepreneur Angel Vassilev, who is said to be the mastermind of the murder, claimed that the real people responsible for the murder would not be found.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!