Криминална хроника

Fidel Beev again fined the Pazardzhik District Court, failing to appear as a defendant in the criminal case brought against him on 20 May. The judge read a written application from Beev for a stay of the case, which was accompanied by a copy of a hospital sheet dated May 18, 2005. (Exactly on this date F. Beev in apparent good health ignored the doctor's prescriptions and attended a full day session of the Municipal Council in Velingrad). The Xerox proved to be authenticated as "True to the Original" with the signature of Beev himself. However, the jury and the representative of the District Prosecutor's Office referred to the law according to which the criminal case cannot be conducted without the presence of the defendant in the courtroom and did not give him a move.
Thus, for the third consecutive time since March, the case against Fidel Beev was melted down with procedural grips: the first time the defendant complained that he did not have time to find a lawyer, the second time the chosen lawyer was on a business trip to Paris, and the third time neither Beev nor his lawyer appeared. In the course of the preliminary investigation also repeatedly F. Beev has achieved delays thanks to sick leave, which has given rise to doubt among investigators.
The charge in the case is serious: that as mayor of the municipality Fidel Beev, in violation of the Public Procurement Act, has concluded a contract for the supply of fuels for municipal units with his own company and at prices that for several months have deprived the municipal budget of over 16,000 levs. For a similar offence in office, the law provides for between 5 and 10 years in prison.
However, the court is not in a hurry - the next date set for the three-time postponed trial is June 30, 2005.
Elena Baeva