5.  The applicant was born in 1974 and lives in Kurdzhali. 6.  On 20 June 1999 the applicant, while driving his car, was involved in a traffic accident with another car. 7.  Subsequently, the driver of the other car filed a complaint with the police, claiming that the applicant had made him sign a note for 3,000 German Marks (approximately EUR 1,538) for a non-existent debt. He maintained that the applicant had forced him into signing the document by threatening him verbally, with a firearm and by inflicting a light bodily injury. 8.  On 25 June 1999 the applicant was arrested, charged with extortion accompanied with a light bodily injury and using a firearm, and placed in pre-trial detention. The offence carried a possible sentence of two to eight years' imprisonment. 9.  It is unclear how long the preliminary investigation lasted and when an indictment against the applicant was submitted to the courts. 10.  On 13 September 1999 the applicant's defence counsel requested to be provided access to the evidence against the applicant. On an unspecified date the judge-rapporteur of the Pazardzhik Regional Court dismissed the request for access to the evidence prior to the court hearings. 11.  The first court hearing was held on 6 October 1999. 12.  By judgment of 4 November 1999 the Pazardzhik Regional Court found the applicant guilty of extortion accompanied with a light bodily injury and using a firearm. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, suspended, and fined 3,000 Bulgarian Levs (BGN : approximately EUR 1,538). The applicant was also ordered to pay BGN 3,000 (approximately EUR 1,538) in damages to the victim. Finally, the court ordered his release on bail of BGN 500 (approximately EUR 256), which he apparently paid and was released on the same day. 13.  There are no indications that the applicant appealed against the judgment. 14.  The applicant was in pre-trial detention between 25 June 1999 and 4 November 1999 for a total period of four months and nine days. 15.  Following his arrest on 25 June 1999 the applicant was placed in pre-trial detention by decision of an investigator from the Regional Investigation Division, approved by the Pazardzhik Prosecutor's Office later in the day. The motives for imposing the pre-trial detention were the
“social severity of the crime, the personality of the offender, the high probability that he would abscond, re-offend or obstruct the investigation”. 16.  The applicant filed six appeals against his detention. 17.  On 28 June 1999 the applicant filed his first appeal against the detention. He maintained that it was unlawful, because of the alleged lack of evidence that he had committed the offence, that he would abscond, re‑offend or obstruct the investigation. He stated that he did not have a criminal record, that he had a permanent address and that all the evidence in the case had already been collected. 18.  On 9 July 1999, which was eleven days after the filing date, the Pazardzhik Regional Court examined the applicant's appeal. At the hearing the representative of the Prosecutor's Office challenged the applicant's assertions. She considered the applicant's failure to report the traffic accident as an indication that he sought to hide the event, and therefore to hinder the investigation, and stated that there were still investigative procedures to be conducted in the case. By decision of the same day the Pazardzhik Regional Court dismissed the applicant's appeal. It did not consider the fact that the applicant had a permanent address as sufficient proof that there was no risk that he might abscond. The court noted that he had been charged with a serious crime and, essentially on this basis, concluded that there was a risk that he might abscond, obstruct the investigation or re-offend. 19.  The applicant filed further appeals against his detention on 12 July, 22 July and 2 August 1999, citing similar grounds. The applicant also noted that the case was progressing, that all the evidence had been colleted and that there was no possibility for him to hamper the investigation. The aforementioned appeals were all dismissed by the Pazardzhik Regional Court on 19 July, 30 July and 6 August 1999, respectively, with wording similar to that in its decision of 9 July 1999. 20.  On 8 September 1999 the applicant filed another appeal against his detention. He reiterated most of the previously given grounds, but also claimed an alleged violation of his rights under the Convention and presented evidence that his medical condition had deteriorated while in detention, namely that his chronic gastritis had become inflamed. 21.  On 13 September 1999 the judge-rapporteur dismissed the appeal citing lack of new grounds for changing the terms of the detention. The applicant appealed. However, the Pazardzhik Regional Court did not transfer the court file together with the appeal to the Plovdiv Appeals Court. 22.  On 23 September 1999 the applicant complained of the delay to the Supreme Judicial Council, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice and the President of the Pazardzhik Regional Court. On the same day the applicant also filed a request with the Plovdiv Appeals Court asking it to demand, on its own motion, the case file from the Pazardzhik Regional Court so that it could rule on the appeal. 23.  On 28 September 1999 the Plovdiv Appeals Court informed the Pazardzhik Regional Court that it should rule on the applicant's appeal and if it dismisses it, to forward the case file to it. 24.  Albeit the specific instructions, on 30 September 1999 the judge‑rapporteur of the Pazardzhik Regional Court refused to forward the case file to the Plovdiv Appeals Court. He maintained that his refusal to forward the file could not be challenged and that he had already ruled on the appeal on 13 September 1999. 25.  On 11 October 1999 the applicant filed his sixth appeal against the detention. The court allegedly refused to rule on it until the next court hearing on 4 November 1999, which was twenty four days after the date of filing. 26.  On 4 November 1999 the Pazardzhik Regional Court delivered its judgment (see paragraph 12 above).