Pardon my ignorance on the matter but wasn't the incentive not the free him immediately more political than anything else? I had a feeling as soon he was transferred to Britain this would happen as a convenient way for Bulgaria not to lose face and for the relationship between the two countries to remain intact. Imagine the situation if Michael would be released straight after he touched ground in England; would be a smack in the face of the Bulgarian justice system, and that of a fellow EU member for that matter. Likewise say a foreign man gets convicted of murder in the UK only to be expedited back to his home country, which happens quite often, only to be set free as soon as he gets there. Not many of you would think that to be fair by any means (we are of course ignoring the fact that Shield's trial was a shamble to begin with). Great news still.