Last-Instance Court Revokes Sentence of Bulgaria Ex-Spy Chief

The Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS) on Tuesday overturned a 10-year imprisonment sentence ruled for former intelligence head Kircho Kirov, BGNES wire service reports.

Kirov, who headed the National Intelligence Service (renamed last year to State Intelligence Agency) between 2002 and 2012, became the first high-profile official to be sentenced to jail time in Bulgaria's most recent history.

He was found guilty of embezzlement over the misappropriation of BGN 4.7 M in public money.

The VKS, however, handed the case to a lower-instance court on Tuesday, arguing a number of procedures in evidence assessment had been violated.

VKS rulings cannot be appealed.

Kirov was sentenced in August of last year by the Sofia Military Court, but appealed. The Military Court of Appeals confirmed the ruling.

Kirov headed the intelligence agency under three Prime Ministers, namely Boyko Borisov, Sergey Stanishev, and Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

The first two were among witnesses summoned during the trial.

He maintains the trial is politically motivated.