Hooliganism, Obstruction Trial of Bulgarian MP to Begin Monday

Sofia City Court is expected to launch the trial against Bulgarian lawmaker Aleksandar Metodiev.

Metodiev, who represents the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) in Parliament, is facing the court after allegedly ignoring a police stop baton waved at him over a traffic violation and later trying to intervene as officers were writing a ticket to another person.

The prosecutor alleges that the MP insulted and intimidated police officers as they were sanctioning members of the Roma football team of Samokov (his hometown).

He was indicted in September. Two months earlier, he also had his criminal immunity lifted. Lawmakers in Bulgaria are immune to criminal prosecution unless they agree to have the status revoked.