Bulgaria's Varna Court Rules to Keep 2 'Killers' in Jail

Yanko Popov aka Tutsi is being led into the Shumen District Court on Augutst 27. Photo by BGNES.

The Court of Appeals in the Bulgarian Black Sea capital Varna ruled to keep in jail two of the three individuals arrested during the sequel of the special police operation codenamed "The Killers."

The said individuals are Yanko Popov aka Tutsi and Vasil Kostov aka Vasko Ketsa (The Sneaker).

The two are charged with plotting and carrying out the murder of Rumen Rachev, a businessman from the northern city of Shumen in the summer of 2009.

The defense council appealed the decision of the lower court in Shumen to keep the defendants behind bars with the motive their clients' health condition deteriorated significantly after the apprehension while in addition to bad health, another stated reason to release Kostov was the fact his girlfriend is 9-months pregnant.

The magistrates ruled that a team of medical experts examines Kostov in order to make a final decision if he should stay under arrest.

On Saturday, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, announced Tutsi, The Sneaker, and another man known only as Raycho, were implicated in a total of 5 murders for hire.