The Sofia Appellate Court upheld a prior decision denying the request for early release of Evelin “Brendo” Banev, who is currently incarcerated in Sofia for drug trafficking offenses. The initial denial of the early release application occurred at the Sofia City Court on March 27, 2026. The application was submitted by the head of the Sofia Prison, where Banev is serving a sentence following convictions in Bulgaria, Italy, and Romania.
Following the submission of the release application, caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov suspended the prison head, Borislav Chobanski, after it was revealed that he had initiated the request for Banev’s release. The first-instance court panel determined that Banev had not completed more than half of his total sentence, which is a prerequisite for considering early release. Consequently, the court found no basis to evaluate the secondary condition related to good behavior.
Prosecutor Gergana Kyurkchiyska stated that Banev had not presented conclusive evidence demonstrating that the time served had achieved its intended corrective purpose. Banev was initially arrested in 2012 during a joint Bulgarian-Italian law enforcement operation and subsequently received a 20-year sentence in Italy for involvement in an international cocaine-trafficking ring. In July 2018, the Sofia City Prosecution Office issued a European Arrest Warrant to locate him to serve a six-year sentence, as his whereabouts were unknown.
Banev, who was subject to Interpol Red Notices since 2018, surrendered to Bulgarian authorities on June 24, 2024, and was taken to Sofia’s Central Prison. Subsequently, a Bulgarian court ruled in April 2025 that Banev would serve a total of ten years and six months in Bulgaria for crimes committed across Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy, with time already served deducted from the term.
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