Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev Calls for Case against Him to Be Dropped and Release from Custody

Varna's mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, has requested that the proceedings against him be terminated and that he be released from detention. Today, October 31, prosecutors presented the evidence gathered in the corruption investigation in which Kotsev has been charged.

• More Than 40 Volumes of Evidence Collected in Case Against the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev

The case file comprises more than 60 volumes. Kotsev faces charges relating to three alleged demands for bribes and two attempted acts of coercion. His defence lawyer, Ina Lulcheva, stated that all evidence and witness testimony relevant to the case had been collected in July and August. She added that witnesses questioned had not claimed the mayor had sought money, but had instead referred to other defendants.

Ina Lulcheva, lawyer for Blagomir Kotsev, said:
"We therefore reminded investigators of a case that ended with a conviction by the Supreme Court — the so-called ‘Zhivko Sudzhuka’ (flat sausage) case involving Zhivko Martinov, if you recall. He was convicted of extortion after misleading a sausage producer into believing that he was requesting the goods for the then-prime minister or an MP, when in fact he wanted them for himself. No one sought to charge that prime minister or MP for having supposedly requested the food. Our case is identical.”