Sat, Nov 21 2009

Sofia City Court has a new chairperson

Wed, Jul 01 2009 15:29 CET byPetar Kostadinov 632 Views
Sofia City Court has a new chairperson

Georgi Kolev

Photo: Julia Lazarova

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) elected Georgi Kolev as the new chairperson of Sofia City Court (SCC) on July 1 2009. Kolev, who is deputy chairperson of the court, will replace current SCC chairperson, the controversial Svetlin Mihailov, who was running for re-election.

Mihailov's candidacy caused a stir among SJC members, including those such as Konstatin Penchev, chairperson of the Supreme Administrative Court, who openly opposed his nomination.

During discussion of Mihailov's candidacy, Penchev described his term as a failure and his re-election as a disgrace for Bulgaria's judiciary, Bulgarian BTA news agency said.

One of the accusations against Mihailov's work was that the SCC lacked efficiency when solving cases and that many court hearings had been delayed. Media reports quoted anonymous SCC employees as claiming that there was an atmosphere of fear among the court's employees during Mihailov's term.

"I feel a victim of political games," BTA quoted Mihailov after the SJC decision.

Sofia City Court is a vital link in Bulgaria's judiciary. It investigates the registering of political parties, as well as cases against public officials who enjoy immunity such as MPs.

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