The Sofia Appellate Court affirmed a prior ruling on Friday, denying Evelin “Brendo” Banev’s request for early release while he serves a sentence in Sofia for drug trafficking. The initial court panel determined that Banev had not completed more than half of his total sentence, which constitutes a prerequisite for considering the second condition for early release. Consequently, the court found no basis to evaluate the requirement concerning good behavior.
Prosecutor Gergana Kyurkchiyska stated that Banev had not furnished conclusive evidence demonstrating that his time served had achieved its intended corrective purpose. Evelin “Brendo” Banev was initially arrested in 2012 during a joint Bulgarian-Italian law enforcement operation. Subsequently, in 2013, he received a 20-year imprisonment sentence in Italy for participation in an international cocaine-trafficking network.
In July 2018, the Sofia City Prosecution Office issued a European Arrest Warrant to locate him for the serving of a six-year sentence after he could not be found at his known residences. Banev, who was subject to Interpol Red Notices starting in 2018, surrendered to Bulgarian authorities on June 24, 2024, and was transferred to Sofia’s Central Prison. Following his arrival, Banev petitioned the Bulgarian court to serve his Italian and Romanian sentences within Bulgaria.
The Change–Democratic Bulgaria party sought a parliamentary hearing regarding Banev’s appearance, during which caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov indicated that the Ministry possessed information suggesting Banev entered Bulgaria by air between late March 2022 and early June 2022. In April 2025, the SCC ruled that Banev would serve a total of ten years and six months in Bulgaria for offenses committed in Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy, with time already detained in Italy and Sofia to be deducted from the term. The court noted delays in communication and a lack of reasoning provided by Italian authorities regarding their sentence.
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