site.btaBulgarian Citizen Wanted for Cybercrimes to Be Handed Over to German Authorities

The Varna Appellate Court confirmed the handover of a Bulgarian citizen to the German authorities, the court's press service said here on Wednesday. The man is wanted on a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Bamberg County Court, Germany.

He is wanted by the German authorities on suspicion of involvement in an organized crime group for fraud and computer crime. According to the indictment, the 28-year-old man worked together with colleagues in a call centre with offices in Bulgaria. The employees presented themselves with false identities over the phone and via email to clients in Germany, assured them that they were working for various online platforms, and with promises of large profits convinced them to invest significant funds in financial instruments, as the group collected the money. As described in the European Arrest Warrant, the man made 40 deposits amounting to EUR 328,951 as a result of his phone calls.

Varna Appellate Court pointed out that, given the cross-border specificity of the offence, priority should be given to the jurisdiction of the State issuing the detention order. By handing him over to the German judicial authorities, the Bulgarian would be able to fully and effectively realize his defence, including by participating in the evidence-gathering process.

According to the Criminal Code of the Federal Republic, the maximum penalty for the crimes of which the Bulgarian is accused is 15 years in prison. He was arrested on October 25 2023 in Varna and the case was heard in the district court in December.