Brazil-Jailed Bulgarian Champ: No Proof of My Guilt!

Galabin Boevski was convicted of international drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years, four months in prison by a federal court in Sao Paulo at the beginning of May. Photo by 24 Hours Daily

Bulgaria's former Olympic weightlifting champion Galabin Boevski, who was convicted in Brazil of international drug trafficking, has fervently claimed innocence in a rare media statement.

"I am a man, who has been building his reputation for more than 20 years. With hard labor and consistently. I have no reason to spoil everything in this way," reads Boevski's statement, circulated to the media by his wife Krassimira.

According to the former Olympic champion his popularity stands in his way now and prevents the court from seeing the truth.

"I have been living for six months already with people, who have committed several heavy crimes. They are recidivists and this has been proven. At the same time I was sentenced to spend two times more years in jail than they will," Boevski says.

He adds he has always respected and abided the law.

"The purpose of my visit to South America and Brazil in particular, where I stepped for the first time in my life, is clear and supported by facts and documents. I did not come to Brazil to commit crimes!," the declaration reads.

Boevski vehemently denied to have been involved with anyone during his trip to Brazil and accuses the federal court in Sao Paulo of ignoring evidence presented by his defence."

"I hope that at the second-instance court, I will manage to prove my innocence" , the declaration concludes.

Galabin Boevski was convicted of international drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years, four months in prison by a federal court in Sao Paulo at the beginning of May.

He was detained at the end of October in Brazil and accused of carrying 7,2 kilos of cocaine in his luggage.

The first hearing in the trial was held on March 6.

The defense was determined to press for Boevski's extradition and eventual trial in Bulgaria, citing the International Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which the two countries have signed and which has supremacy over state laws.

The lawyer's statement clashed with the opinion of Bulgarian high-ranking officials, who have ruled out the extradition of Galabin Boevski to his home country, saying there is no prisoner transfer agreement between Bulgaria and Brazil.

The 36-year-old Boevski won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 152-pound category. He was banned for eight years by the International Weightlifting Federation for doping in 2004.

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