The Appellate Court in Burgas reduced the sentence of a former bank employee who embezzled nearly 360,000 leva from the Aytos branch of Unicredit Bulbank. The sentence was reduced from eight to six years of imprisonment. The case was considered based on an appeal by the Regional Prosecutor's Office and an appeal by the defendant.
The employee withdrew money from customer accounts using forged documents and fictitious operations for more than four years. The defense requested the sentence be overturned or a suspended sentence, but the court upheld the defendant's guilt, reducing the sentence because of the length of the case (over eight years), the defendant's age, and health condition.
The court's decision also noted the employee's loyalty to her employer, as she prevented the removal of money during an armed robbery of the bank in Aytos in 2015. The decision of the Appellate Court is subject to appeal to the Supreme Court of Cassation.