site.btaEnforceable Sentences Issued in 10,278 Cases in 2023, Conditional Sentences in 14,891 Cases

A total of 29,674 crime cases were closed in Bulgaria in 2023. Enforceable sentences were issued in 10,278 of these cases, conditional sentences were imposed in 14,891 cases, and acquittals were granted in 666 cases. Another 282 cases were dropped, and defendants in 3,647 cases were relieved of punishment, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) says in its annual report, Crimes and Sentenced Persons 2023, published on its website.

Sentences on 23,037 persons became effective in 2023, decreasing by 4.2% compared with 2022. There were 748 persons aged between 14 and 17 years (under the full legal age of 18) sentenced in 2023, accounting for 3.2% of all persons sentenced that year.

The criminal activity rate in Bulgaria in 2023 was 411 per 100,000 punishable population (794 among men and 64 among women). The criminal activity rate among persons aged between 14 and 17 was 290 per 100,000 members of that age group.

The year saw 887 people sentenced for 939 border crossing violations. Another 87 people were sentenced for 71 instances of cross-border trafficking in humans.

Eighty-six persons were sentenced for bribery in 2023, compared with 58 in 2022, the NSI report says.