site.btaUPDATED Court Leaves in Custody Customs Agency Director Petya Bankova

The Sofia City Court has left in custody Customs Agency Director Petya Bankova. Stefan Dimitrov has also been left in remand by the court. 

On April 4, Bankova was detained for 72 hours and charged with involvement in an organized crime group for influence peddling, contraband and bribery along with Stefan Dimitrov, Marin Dimitrov and Nikola Nikolov. Bankova doesn’t know the three men, according to her lawyer Adelina Natina. 

The Prosecution Office said that a reasonable assumption could be made that Petya Bankova and Stefan and Marin Dimitrov had committed a crime and there was a real danger that they would commit another crime.

According to the pleadings of the defence lawyers of Petya Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov, their pre-trial detention measures should be lighter.

Bankova's lawyer Adelina Natina pointed out that her client has two minor children, a permanent address where she can be found, her health is in poor condition, she has no criminal record, she has always worked for the Bulgarian state and after her appointment as director of the Customs Agency, smuggling channels have been broken. There is no direct or indirect evidence that Bankova has committed any crime, the lawyer said. Lyudmil Rangelov, also defending Bankova, said that the voice evidence reported by the Prosecution Office is a mixture of information about top-level political plots, intrigues in one department, rumours and assumptions, and there is no voice evidence to indicate that Bankova is involved in an organised criminal group. 

Bankova's acquaintance with Stefan Dimitrov is not supported by any facts establishing that it was created and maintained for criminal purposes and that these purposes were actually realized and Bankova was aware that through her relationship with this person, she was facilitating the realization of such criminal purposes, he added. 

Stefan Dimitrov's lawyers, Ivaylo Naydenov and Mario Naydenov pointed out that Dimitrov is in no danger of absconding, he can be found at his addresses in Sofia and Haskovo, and there is no evidence of criminal activity concerning smuggling of excise goods. Suggestions of the State Agency for National Security or other operational services cannot be evidence on the basis of which such a crime can be alleged, the lawyers added. According to them, there is no danger that Dimitrov will commit another crime.

Judge Tony Getov said that during questioning Bankova claimed she did not know Stefan Dimitrov or his father Marin Dimitrov, who was transported to Pirogov hospital before Saturday's hearing. According to him, evidence has been collected and compiled which shows dozens of conversations between Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov. There is also an expert report showing that the two met at a hotel in Pravets. In the conversations they held, they repeatedly discussed aspects of the activities of the Customs Agency, the judge said. According to him, there are also photographs and conversations about meetings held between Petya Bankova and Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev, organised by Stefan Dimitrov. Photographs were taken of Zhivko Kotsev, Stefan Dimitrov and another publicly known person, showing a certain watch, which after their meeting is now on Zhivko Kotsev's wrist, Getov added.

At this stage of the investigation, there is evidence of the defendants' involvement in an organised criminal group, he said. The court found that there was a real danger that Bankova or Dimitrov would commit another crime.

Responding to a question about why Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev has not been charged so far, since a photo shows the watch mentioned by Getov, supervising prosecutor Ilian Tochev told journalists that "the pre-trial proceedings are less than 72 hours old" and more evidence is to be collected and analysed. Asked whether former interior minister Boyko Rashkov had been questioned about the defendants' acquaintance with him, prosecutor Tochev said Rashkov had not been questioned as a witness.

The investigation continues and if other evidence is gathered, there is no obstacle to bringing charges against other persons, Tochev added.