Staviiski Court Saga Ends with Suspended Sentence

The Supreme Court of Cassation Court made a final decision Tuesday to change the effective jail sentence of Bulgarian figure skating champion Maxim Staviiski to a suspended one. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency.

Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassation announced Tuesday its decision to change Maxim Staviiski's effective sentence to a suspended one.

The Court changed the sentence of 2 years and 5 months behind bars to a suspended 2 years and 5 months one, with a 5-year probation.

The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

In January 2008, world skating champion, Maxim Staviiski received a suspended sentence of 2,5 years for driving drunk and causing a car crash in August 2007, which left the 24-year-old Petar Petrov dead, and the 18-year-old Manuela Gorsova comatose. Staviiski's blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was 1.24. In December, the case against Staviiski was referred to the Burgas Appellate Court by the parents of the car crash victims.

On January 5, 2009 the Appellate Court in Burgas changed the 2,5-year suspended sentence into an effective one and increased the amount of the original sums that Staviiski had to pay to the crash victims' parents.

Tuesday, the Court of Cassation also reduced the compensation for the parents of the two victims, Petrov and Gorsova, respectively from BGN 120 000 to 100 000 and BGN 150 000 to 90 000.

The motives of the Court are 10 pages-long.

 

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