site.btaSupreme Court of Cassation Upholds Acquittal in SAPARD Case

Supreme Court of Cassation Upholds Acquittal in SAPARD Case

Sofia, November 8 (BTA) - The Supreme Court of Cassation announced on Tuesday it has upheld an acquittal rendered by the Sofia Appellate Court in the SAPARD case.

The prosecution had protested the court's decision to exonerate defendants Mario Nikolov, Anna Sharkova, Ivan Ivanov and Valentin Angelov of participating in an organized crime group.

The case, which initially started as a single case over SAPARD aid irregularly claimed in Bulgaria in 2002-2005, was later split into two mega-trials closely monitored by Brussels: one for fraudulent claim of subsidy and one for money laundering.

In the case of fraudulent claims through counterfeit documents six defendants were given custodial sentences which afterwards were reversed by the Sofia Appellate Court over procedural violations.

The money laundering case also flopped. In March 2014, the Supreme Court of Cassation reopened the SAPARD case and returned it to the Sofia Appellate Court.