Suspended Sentence of 6 months in the First Case of the European Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria

Suspended sentence of 6 months at second instance. This is the result at this moment of the first case that the European Prosecutor's Office, with Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, brought to the court in Bulgaria.

At the end of July last year, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Traian Deliagov to a conditional sentence of 6 months in prison with a 3-year probationary period, that as an employee of the "Agriculture" fund he requested and received a bribe of 5,000 Leva. He was acquitted of another bribe of 5,000 Leva demanded and received from the same victim before.

Deliagov appealed his sentence and the European Prosecutor's Office protested it. Before the Sofia Court of Appeal, the delegated European prosecutor Svetlana Shopova pleaded that there was evidence of the first bribe as well and that the punishment was too lenient.

However, the three appellate judges accept that the special court correctly assessed both the evidence in the case and Deliagov's punishment.

According to them, the first bribe cited by the prosecution remained unproven. The judges also disagreed with the prosecution's contention that the six-month suspended sentence was unduly lenient. According to the appellate instance, this punishment can achieve its goals - general and special prevention.

"There is no need for Deliagov to be isolated from society in prison, on the contrary - he should be given the opportunity to perform community service by refraining from illegal acts during a trial period determined by the court," reasoned the magistrates.

The verdict is not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Cassation.

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