Bulgaria's Cardiovascular Crisis: Deputy PM Urges Action
Bulgaria is grappling with a staggering burden of cardiovascular diseases, with more than 6 million new cases and over 1.8 million deaths reported annually
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
A new prosecutors' team is going to deal with the notorious SAPARD case, according to Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov.
Speaking for bTV Monday, Kokinov labeled the case a 1:1 draw – one guilty verdict and one aquittal.
He said in Germany the case concluded much faster because the defendants sealed a plea bargain with the prosecution.
"The Bulgarian and the German trials are not mirroring each other. The trial procedures are different as well," Kokinov pointed out.
In September, the Sofia Court of Appeals acquitted on all charges Bulgarian "businessman" Mario Nikolov and the other defendants in the high-profile SAPARD money laundering case.
Prosecutors requested guilty verdicts for Nikolov, his wife Mariana, Lyudmil Stoykov, Ana Sharkova, Valentin Angelov, Lazarina Georgieva and Ivan Ivanov. They were charged with participating in an organized crime group engaged in laundering EUR 7.5 M drained from the EU agriculture program SAPARD.
However, the Sofia Court of Appeals found them not guilty.
On March 29 2010, the Sofia City Court sentenced Nikolov to 10 years behind bars and his wife, Mariana, to 8 years in the notorious SAPARD case. The two were charged, along with Lyudmil Stoykov, with laundering the money drained from SAPARD. Stoykov was acquitted by the Court.
In June 2010 Bulgaria's Sofia City Court sentenced Nikolov to 12 years in prison, and five other accomplices to smaller sentences for draining EUR 7.5 M of SAPARD funds.
However, upon the appeal of the sentence, the Sofia Court of Appeals determined that there were a number of procedural breaches and unclear facts in the proceedings.
The legal process against Nikolov was provoked by revelations of EU anti-fraud body OLAF, according to which a group of 60 Bulgarian, foreign and offshore organizations had participated in tax fraud and money laundering.
The case is considered a crucial test for Bulgaria's justice system, monitored by the EU and OLAF – the European Commission's anti-fraud office and the acquittal triggered strong criticism from both.
Nikolov and Stoykov were both sponsors of now-former President Georgi Parvanov's elections campaign.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
In a decisive move, the Bulgarian Parliament has approved a measure to bolster security at all centers for migrants and refugees under the jurisdiction of the State Agency for Refugees.
Ivana, a 17-year-old from Dupnitsa, has been missing for over a month now, vanishing on February 22 after leaving school without her phone
Reports from Italian authorities detail a horrifying ordeal where victims were subjected to physical violence and coercion, painting a grim picture of human trafficking and exploitation
170 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed within a shipment of bananas at the Burgas city's port
In a recent operation organized by The Directorate-General for Border Police, a significant development unfolded late on March 23 at the Gyueshevo border crossing
At the Old Bailey court, five out of the six Bulgarians accused of espionage in the United Kingdom pleaded not guilty to charges of participating in a spy network allegedly operating on behalf of Russia
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022