False Start of Appeal in Notorious Bulgarian SAPARD Case

Crime | May 16, 2011, Monday // 14:53|  views

Lyudmil Stoykov (left) and Mario Nikolov (right), seen in the courtroom. Photo by BGNES

The notorious, high-profile case against Bulgarian "businessmen" Lyudmil Stoykov and Mario Nikolov at the Sofia Appellate Court had to be postponed Monday before even having started.

Mario Nikolov and Lyudmil Stoykov are charged with large-scale SAPARD fraud in the amount of EUR 7.5 M.

On March 29, 2010, Mario Nikolov was sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined BGN 30 000 for document fraud and abuse of SAPARD funds.

Stoykov however was found not guilty and was set free by the Sofia City Court.

Mario's wife Mariyana received an 8-year prison sentence. The other 4 defendants were handed 6 year jail sentences and fines of BGN 30 000.

On Monday, the appellate magistrates postponed the trial for June 7 because three of the defendants have not been summoned properly. Those who were supposed to deliver the subpoenas were unable to locate Mariyana, Ivan Ivanov, and Grigor Glavev. Nevertheless, they did find Mariana's husband, Mario, who was present in the courtroom. His lawyer, however, was a no-show on the grounds he learned too late about the date of the trial and was unable to reschedule other commitments.

The case is considered a crucial test for Bulgaria's justice system, monitored by the EU and OLAF – the European Commission's anti-fraud office.

According to the indictment, the defendants created a secret association through which they sent millions from SAPARD to other companies controlled by Nikolov and Stoykov.

Nikolov and Stoykov were both sponsors of President Parvanov's campaign at the last Bulgarian Presidential Elections.

The legal process was provoked by revelations of OLAF, according to which a group of 60 Bulgarian, foreign and offshore organizations, linked with the previous government, led by Socialist Sergey Stanishev, had participated in tax fraud and money laundering.

Mario and Mariyana Nikolovi and several defendants are also tried in another case for draining SAPARD funds, accused of having acted as an organized crime group and obtaining illegally, through fake documents, EUR 14 M in subsidies from SAPARD.

According to the indictment, the group stole the amount through document fraud in the period 2002-2005. The defendants were alleged to have used old meat processing equipment presenting it as new in order to get subsidies for a meat processing plant.

On June 30, 2010, Mario Nikolov was sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Sofia City Court on these charges. Two defendants were acquitted; one got a 3-year sentence. Nikolov's wife Mariyana was sentenced to 14 years of jail time. All of the other defendants were pronounced guilty with 10-year sentences.

Nikolov claims he is a "scapegoat" for the malfunctioning judicial system in Bulgaria thus he is appealing both sentences.

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Tags: Mariyana, OLAF, Sofia Appellate Court, Lyudmil Stoykov, Mario Nikolov, SAPARD, draining, fraud, corruption, EU funds, EU funds abuse

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