Chinese National given suspended sentence in Bulgaria on espionage charges
Baku, October 1, AZERTAC
The Sofia City Court on Thursday handed a Chinese national a three-year suspended prison sentence with a five-year probation period on charges related to espionage, according to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
The man was accused of attempting between July 2025 and June 18, 2026, in Sofia to collect information constituting a state secret with the aim of providing it to a foreign country. The attempt was not completed for reasons beyond his control. The prosecution service opened pre-trial proceedings on June 18 following a tip-off from the State Agency for National Security (SANS).
Thursday's proceedings were conducted under a summary procedure and behind closed doors because the case involved classified information. The defendant, who was born in 1991 in Hubei, China, admitted the facts and circumstances set out in the indictment. His sentence was consequently reduced by one third.
The court was told that the defendant's permanent address is in Shanghai and that he is a university lecturer.
A three-judge panel of the Sofia City Court found him guilty of two offences. The first dates from 2020, when he persuaded a Bulgarian man (named Nikolay Naydenov, but not now Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov) to place himself at China's service by collecting information constituting a state secret.
The second concerned his inducing Naydenov to seek the position of chair of SANS so that, if he gained access to classified information, he could provide it to China.
In explaining its decision, the court noted that six years had passed since the first offence and that the second had caused no harm because Naydenov had not obtained access to state secrets.
The judgment can be appealed or challenged by the prosecution within 15 days.
The court ordered the Chinese national's immediate release from custody unless he is being held on other grounds. His remand measure was changed from detention in custody to an obligation to report to the authorities.
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