Asen Vasilev on the case against the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev

The chairman of "We Continue the Change" (PP) Asen Vasilev appeared in court to shed light on the case against the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, which he claims is being conducted in Sofia to avoid its transfer to the seaside capital. The Sofia Court of Appeal was the venue for the hearing on the measure of restraint against Blagomir Kotsev, where Vasilev presented his position.

"The court refused to question me so that the case against the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, could stay in Sofia and not go to Varna," Vasilev said in court. The drama unfolded before the eyes of those present, creating a tense atmosphere.

At the center of his accusations is the detention of Blagomir Kotsev, continuing, according to Vasilev, for over three months. The grounds for the detention stemmed from the testimony of "a proven thief". According to Vasilev, this woman, whose name is not mentioned, is involved in abuses of over 500,000 leva, stolen from Bulgarian students and intended for their food. A report by the State Financial Inspection Agency, prepared during the "GERB 3" government, implicates her company in these violations.

Vasilev went on to explain how "this thief" mentioned an "unknown MP", after which she also involved his name. This, according to him, is the reason why the case is being heard in Sofia. This allows, as he claims, for the manipulation of panels and complicates the situation, thus avoiding the hearing of the case in Varna, where, according to Vasilev, "it belongs". The PP chairman added that the Anti-Corruption Commission (CPC) and the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office have been refusing to question him for the third month. Moreover, now the court also refuses to question him, which, according to Vasilev, is an additional act serving to keep the case in Sofia.

"We are witnessing that both the court, the prosecution, and the CPC are in the role of the three monkeys – I didn't hear, I didn't see, I didn't understand," Vasilev emphasized. He explained that he appeared in the courtroom to state categorically that he has nothing to do with the woman accused by him and that everything she said is "absolutely untrue". His goal was for the case to be transferred to Varna and to be heard by the Varna court and prosecutor's office, and not by, according to him, "rigged panels and prosecutors".