Bulgaria's Maybach Theft Case Delayed by Defense Absence

The Maybach tanks laid half buried since World War II near Bulgaria's southeastern border with Turkey. File photo

Bulgaria's Military Court of Appeals postponed Monday the case of the Maybach tank theft over the defense council's failure to appear.

On October 6, 2010, a German national, Thomas Gmainer, 36, and a Bulgarian army officer, Aleksei Petrov, were sentenced by the Sliven Military Court to 4 years in jail for stealing a vintage World War II tank. They were arrested while attempting to thieve another Maybach tank.

The other defendant, 67-year old German national Matheus Mayer, was delivered a 3-year suspended sentence with five years on probation.

Gmainer and Petrov will also have to pay EUR 1 M in damages to the Defense Ministry.

After being released on bail, the German citizens disappeared and were later detained in Germany with a European arrest warrant, but were not extradited to Bulgaria and were tried in their absence.

The magistrates were presented Monday with a doctor's note excusing the absence of the attorney representing the Germans.

Petrov's lawyer also failed to appear. The defendant explained the latter told him Saturday he had been sick.

The German Maybach tanks were used by the Bulgarian army during World War II and were left as stationary firing points, buried underground along the Turkish-Bulgarian border. They now have only collector value.

The case was rescheduled for February 23.

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