Hope for NT man jailed in Bulgaria

A TERRITORY man facing 10 years' jail in Bulgaria for drug smuggling has been granted a reprieve.

Katherine-born Garry David's conviction was set aside by the Bulgarian Supreme Court after an appeal.

A property developer who lives in Varna, Mr David had been convicted of smuggling a high-risk narcotic and was sentenced and fined the equivalent of $A100,000 in July last year.

The Supreme Court notified him this week his conviction had been set aside and he would be re-tried in November.

Mr David, who is free on bail, said the appeal was good news, but he didn't understand why he would be re-tried on charges he had already faced.

Mr David said he had been through hearings into the case without resolution.

``I don't want to be turned into a jurisdictional football,'' he said.

``I have now been subjected to three levels of jurisdictions and still these complaints have not been addressed.''

Mr David has already spent two months in a pre-trial detention centre where he claims he was subjected to inhumane conditions.

He was charged after Bulgarian postal workers allegedly found controlled medications in cigarette packets Mr David was sending to the US.

Mr David feared his wife Valentina and children Mattia and Yasen would be persecuted and unable to support themselves while he was in prison.

Mr David said he was dismayed to find the court had not addressed the human rights breaches he brought up in the appeal.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Thur, 29 September 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Eric Tlozek
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/