This is where the outcome is decided
People think a criminal case starts in the courtroom. It starts long before.
The pre-trial stage is where the evidence is gathered that everything later rests on. An explanation given in the first hours without a lawyer stays on the file and is read months later.
The rights you have from the outset
To know what you have been summoned about and in what capacity: witness, detainee or accused. The difference is fundamental.
To have a defence lawyer and to wait for them. To give no explanations. Silence is not an admission and is not a ground for anything.
To read every record before signing it, and to ask for an objection to be entered if what is written does not match what was said.
If your Bulgarian is not strong, you have the right to an interpreter. Do not sign a document you do not understand because someone explained it to you verbally.
What does not help
Explanations given “to clear it up quickly”. Messages and conversations with others involved. Deleting a phone or correspondence. Attempts to talk to the injured party.
Each of these looks sensible at the time and is read differently afterwards.
If you are summoned as a witness
Do not assume you are only a witness. Your capacity can change as the investigation develops. A conversation before you attend costs little and sometimes changes everything.
If you are a foreign national
Besides an interpreter, there are questions about consular notification and about measures affecting your ability to leave the country. Say at the outset that you are not a Bulgarian citizen.
Related
Detention and measures, victims of crime.
What I will need
The summons or any document received. The file number if you know it. Exactly what you were told and by whom. And your own account, in chronological order, without skipping the uncomfortable parts.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.