Alexo Petrov, producer and director of the controversial Bulgarian film Baklava has been sentenced in absentia to a fine of 3500 leva for "employing seven children aged between 16 and 18 without consent from the proper institutions".

On May 13 2009, an international arrest warrant was issued for Petrov, who has been living in Toronto, Canada, since 2004. According to district prosecutor Andrei Chervenyakov, Petrov has not been in Bulgaria since 2007 and police had not been able to arrest him despite the international arrest warrant.

The sentence was handed down by the Bourgas District Court on May 28 2009 and announced on June 3 by Chervenyakov.

Baklava, shot with the participation of several children from an orphanage in Bourgas, tells the story of two brothers reunited in a hunt for a mysterious buried treasure.

A row over the film erupted after local media reportedly received complaints from "concerned citizens" about the graphic content of two promotional clips for the film that appeared on YouTube, Vbox7 and other video sharing websites.

At the time of this writing, YouTube and Vbox7 had taken down one of the two clips, claiming violation of terms of use.

In a statement when the row broke, Petrov said: "The film at some point maybe is entertaining, shocking or even makes people blush, but at least it shows what is really going on in Bulgaria. On the street, in our concrete apartments, at bus stations, on TV, on the overcrowded stadiums during pop folk concerts, in the bars, in the orphanages and children's care homes."

"What is happening to Bulgarian kids on our streets is much more terrifying than what is shown in the movie," Petrov said

Since its 2007 premiere in Varna, the film has been shown in The Netherlands and the UK, among others.

In an open letter in September 2008, Petrov has denied being on the run or hiding from the Bulgarian police. "The Bulgarian Agency for the Protection of the Child has had my name, address and telephone number since May 2006," Petrov said. "All filming permits issued by the agency at the request of authorities include my data and signature."

Petrov told The Sofia Echo he would appeal the decision.

It was not yet clear whether Petrov would be prosecuted on charges of production and distribution of pornography, Chervenyakov was quoted as saying by Bulgarian news agency BTA.