EC Pressures Bulgaria over Direct Election of Top Magistrates - Report
The European Commission has insisted for the third time in two months that Bulgaria's top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) be elected directly, a report says.
The European Commission has insisted for the third time in two months that Bulgaria's top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) be elected directly, a report says.
Over 80 Sofia-based judges have urged the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) to come up with a proper institutional response to the occasional accusations of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov against the judiciary.
Criminal defense lawyers from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Sliven have insisted that the names of Bulgarian judges said to hold daily conversations with Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov be announced in public.
The Bulgarian parliament has voted down the proposal made by Coalition for Bulgaria to set up an inquiry committee to probe into alleged political pressure of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov on the judiciary.
Developments in Bulgaria in recent months point to a need for stronger action in a number of areas to implement European Commission recommendations to bring the country up to EU standards in judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime.
Bulgaria's judiciary has emerged once again as a major problem in the upcoming report of the European Commission, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, informed Saturday.
Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) has penalized Vladimira Yaneva, Chair of the Sofia City Court (SCC), with a reprimand, the lightest form of disciplinary action, for 43 delayed trials.
Miroslava Todorova, Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA), has accused Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov of libel and may file a lawsuit in a week.
The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) has condemned Interior Minster Tsvetanov's recent claims that attorneys-at-law in the country should come under the supervision of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) so that unreasonable delays in court trials can be eliminated.