Bulgaria Supreme Court Rejects Borilski Murderers' Acquittal

Young Bulgarians protest outside the main Court building in downtown Sofia against the “not guilty” verdict of the Veliko Turnovo Appellate Court in the Borilski murder case. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations returned Monday the high profile "Borilski" murder case to the Appellate Court in the city of Veliko Tarnovo for retrial.

In the summer of 2000, French firefighters discovered the brutally murdered Bulgarian Sorbonne student, Martin Borilski, in his apartment in Paris. His body was tied down with a sweater, and his skull was broken with a dumbbell. There were 93 stabbing wounds on his corpse.

The two alleged killers, Georgi Zheliazkov and Stoyan Stoichkov aka Barona (the Baron) were acquitted by the first two instances - the Shumen District Court and the Veliko Turnovo Appellate Court.

The Supreme Court magistrates base their decision on the lack of motives of the Appellate Court for the "not guilty" verdict. They further point out significant violations in the ways evidence has been collected, verified, analyzed and admitted and the fact that the financial state of the alleged perpetrators has not been investigated after July 18, 2000.

The Veliko Turnovo Appellate Court has excluded a priori the possibility that the two had a motive for the murder of a student at such prestigious school, the Supreme justices point out.

The Supreme Court's decision to return the case cannot be appealed.

 

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!