- A week earlier, the law enforcement officer again transported migrants, dressed in uniform and with an official ID
- Runaway inflation and high prices prompted him to act, according to his lawyer
I would not have imposed the most severe measure on you – detention, if you had not worn a police uniform and an official card when transporting illegal migrants.
With these words, Plovdiv judge Nikolay Petrov addressed 23-year-old SDVR police officer Denislav Borisov, informing him that he was leaving him in custody.
The inmate asked for a lighter measure and expressed regret for what he had done. On January 4, he was captured at the 119th kilometer of the Trakia highway, driving a bus with 31 Afghans. He told police he was a colleague and asked them not to check him. He was in uniform and showed his official card.
“This represents a high public danger,” the magistrate noted. According to him, the migrants themselves claimed that they had been told that the person carrying them would be wearing a police uniform. “A week earlier, Borisov committed a similar act,” the judge emphasized.
The young man was silent in the hall, and his father Roman Borisov constantly wiped away his tears. “I can’t talk,” the distraught parent told 24 Hours.
Also in the hall was the prisoner’s uncle, who said that Denislav was a good child and should have taken care of his grandparents. He and lawyer Nadezhda Rimpeva made the young policeman’s entire family, including himself, sick. “Denislav suffers from an allergy. He has a runny nose,” said his uncle Stoyan Stoyanov. And the defendant says the arrest won’t hit him well.
“In a very short period of time, two acts were committed with the migrants,” said judge Nikolay Petrov, announcing his decision.
“He has to take care of lighting the stove for his grandfather and grandmother. Grandfather cannot move, grandmother cannot hear. Denislav fetches wood for the stove. At the same time, he has to help his younger brother at school, since he speaks very good English and German,” continued the uncle. The policeman’s mother did not go to work regularly because she had bone system disease.
“Denislav is not a confrontational person. He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, doesn’t use drugs. He has a clean criminal record. He doesn’t bother his parents,” his lawyer added.
Prosecutor Georgi Kodjanikolov retorted that the policeman’s act compromised national security. “He is called to fight against criminal acts, but he used his official position to avoid being controlled by his colleagues,” stressed the accuser.
“Yes, he was behind the wheel of the bus and expressed deep regret. But take into account his young age and inexperience,” added the defender. He cited runaway inflation and rising prices as the reason for his client’s appeal to the law.
“Many are unable to cope with their income. In such a situation, only pensioners who drive on bread and milk can physically survive. But he is 23 years old and has different needs: he plays sports, drives a car, has expenses,” he continued. with her defense. According to her, the temptation for quick money was inherent in young people.
Nadezhda Rimpeva stressed that her client will enter into an agreement with the prosecutor’s office. “His life has changed radically, he has lost his job, he is now subjected to disciplinary proceedings at the Viminale”, she added.
The decision of the Plovdiv Regional Court can be appealed on January 12.
