The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office is appealing the Sofia City Court's ruling on the conditional early release of Kristian Nikolov. He is serving a sentence for the accident that killed journalist Milen Tsvetkov.
The Sofia City Court decided to release him early, assuming that 28-year-old Nikolov has reformed behind bars, realized his guilt, and is not in danger of committing another crime. The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office does not share these conclusions and has filed a protest against the court ruling.
The Prosecutor's Office disputes its correction
The spokesman for the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office Nikolay Nikolaev explained on the program “Wake Up“ that the law sets two conditions for conditional early release. The convict must have served more than half of his sentence and have proven through his behavior that he has reformed.
According to him, the court accepted that both prerequisites were met, but the prosecutor's office believes that the evidence does not convincingly support the conclusion of reformation.
Nikolaev pointed out that Nikolov's behavior has somewhat adjusted to what is socially acceptable, but the prison administration has repeatedly expressed the opinion that he has not reformed. The convict has been given a plan with specific tasks and recommendations that, according to the prosecutor's office, must be implemented.
Nikolov remains in prison until the court's decision
Until the court decision comes into force, Kristian Nikolov remains in prison. The prosecutor's office's protest will be considered by the Sofia Court of Appeal, which must decide whether to confirm or cancel the early release.
If the protest is upheld, Nikolov will continue to serve his sentence. According to the spokesperson for the SGP, he will later be able to exercise his legal right to request early conditional release.