Belitsa and Sungurlare: Appeals court moves both mayors to house arrest
After a nearly seven-hour hearing, the court in Burgas lifted pretrial detention for Radoslav Revanski and Dimitar Gavazov. Hundreds of supporters applauded outside the courthouse.
Symbolic image · Photo: Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The Court of Appeal in Burgas has replaced pretrial detention with house arrest for Belitsa Mayor Radoslav Revanski and Sungurlare Mayor Dimitar Gavazov. Both are accused of taking part in a criminal group engaged in influence peddling, together with the regional coordinator of the DPS party in Burgas, Hristo Shirokov. The hearing lasted nearly seven hours. The judges found reasonable grounds to suspect involvement in the offense but no flight risk, and said the purpose of the measure could also be achieved through house arrest.
Revanski will serve house arrest in Sofia and Gavazov in the village of Lozarevo. Prosecutor Krasimira Katelieva had asked for both to stay in custody, saying there was no evidence of political pressure and enough evidence had been gathered. Revanski's lawyer, Iliyan Vasilev, said he was dissatisfied, arguing that both men are innocent and should be released without any measure. "The truth has won," Revanski said as he left the courtroom.
Hundreds of residents of Belitsa and Sungurlare spent the whole day outside the courthouse in Burgas to support the mayors and greeted the decision with applause and chanting. The two were arrested last week and ordered held in custody by the district court. The DPS calls their detention political repression. All suspects are presumed innocent.