Appellate Court-Sofia leaves Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev in custody

The Sofia Appellate Court left in custody Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, who is charged with corruption and participation in an organized crime group. The judgment is final. One of the three judges, Andrey Angelov, signed with a dissenting opinion. The ruling also says that Kotsev is still the mayor of Varna, and even under house arrest, he could influence the investigation. 

Meanwhile, the Sofia City Court changed the detention measure for the former Deputy Mayor of Sofia, Nikola Barbutov, from "pre-trial detention" to "house arrest." He is charged with participating in an organized criminal group for official crimes and bribery. The court’s decision is not final and can be appealed.