The Burgas court of appeal (Bulgaria) has turned down Ukrainian national Oleksiy Levin’s appeal against a first instance court’s decision to extradite him.
Levin is the suspected organizer of the murder of Kherson activist Kateryna Handzyuk in 2018.
“Thus, the competent bodies of the Republic of Bulgaria have granted the request of the Prosecutor-General’s Office to extradite the mentioned person, which was signed by Ruslan Ryaboshapka,” the Prosecutor-General’s Office said.
After Levin is handed over to Ukrainian law enforcers, he will undergo the necessary procedural actions aimed at investigating the crime as soon as possible.
Kherson activist Kateryna Handzyuk was splashed with concentrated acid on 31 July 2018. She died in a hospital on 4 November.
Kateryna Handzyuk was doused with concentrated sulphuric acid outside her house in Kherson on 31 July 2019. On 4 November, she died in a hospital. On the same day, the police requalified the case as accomplished murder.
Serhiy Torbin, Viktor Horbunov, Volodymyr Vasyanovych, Vyacheslav Vyshnevskyy and Mykyta Hrabchuk were convicted on charges of attacking Handzyuk. Ihor Pavlovskyy, whom the investigation considers to be an intermediary between the customers and the perpetrators of the murder, is being investigated separately.
The suspects in ordering and organising the attack are Vladyslav Manher and Oleksiy Levin. Their case was suspended after Levin was put on a wanted list.