Interpol-wanted Bulgarian man to remain in custody following court ruling

A Bulgarian man wanted by Interpol will remain behind bars after the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court ruled that his arrest was lawful.

Stanislav Stamenov, who is wanted by Romanian authorities to serve 16 years in prison for drug trafficking, appeared in court on Tuesday.

He was sentenced by a Romanian court in absentia in 2019.

Stamenov had been living in Cape Town and working as a personal trainer before his arrest on February 27, following the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice.

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Stamenov’s lawyer, William Booth, had brought an application challenging the legality of his client’s arrest. Booth argued that the Interpol Red Notice was not a valid arrest warrant.

However, the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court rejected that argument. Magistrate Sheila Mthimunye ruled that there is sufficient information indicating that Stamenov committed an extraditable offence in Romania.

She also found that there are grounds for his continued detention while extradition proceedings continue.

Meanwhile, Stamenov will apply for bail when he appears again at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court next Wednesday.

Booth said there is no reason his client should not be released on bail.

“He's been in this country for more than 16 years, he has permanent residence here he has a South African ID, married, a child in the country and he's got property in the country and he's been working as a gym instructor and everything is indicative of the fact that he should be released on bail."

The matter has been provisionally postponed to March 18 for monitoring of the progress of Romania’s extradition request and formal bail application.