A Bulgarian appeals court has overturned a lower court decision to extradite a Russian man accused at home of large-scale tax evasion in a case complicated by the suspect's burning of his Russian passport during an anti-war protest in the Black Sea resort of Varna.
Russian authorities have asked Bulgaria to extradite 46-year-old Aleksei Alchin over an old charge of tax evasion, but his defense claims the charge was politically motivated.
Alchin, who says he has been living in Bulgaria for five years,has argued that Russian authorities are persecuting him for his political leanings and criticism of Russia's war on Ukraine.
The Court of Appeal in Varna ruled on August 25 that Alchin should not be extradited after defense lawyers said adequate guarantees were not provided that Alchin's rights and dignity would be protected and that he would not be persecuted for political reasons.
The court decision cannot be appealed further.
Russian authorities have sought Alchin internationally since February 2020. He requested political asylum in Bulgaria only after being detained in connection with the extradition request, which prosecutors said hurt his chances of success. Activists have urged President Rumen Radev to grant Alchin asylum.
Alchin has described past employment in Russia that included working for a State Duma committee that he says he left "due to the high level of corruption in the system."
He said he fled Russia after being warned that his metals company had attracted interest from elites and he might be accused of tax crimes.
He also said he'd never received any subpoenas, as lawyers he approached in Russia before fleeing came under "pressure" and refused to represent his interests.