2 More Magistrates Punished over Murky Ties

The Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court has dismissed the appeals of two more magistrates, punished for their connections with the court lobbyist Krasio the Black. File photo

Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) has confirmed the disciplinary punishments of two more magistrates over proven contacts with the court lobbyist Krasimir Georgiev, aka Krasio the Black.

On Tuesday, VAS rejected the appeal of the prosecutor from the Bulgarian city of Haskovo Petar Midov. He has appeal his demotion in rank for two years.

The court has decided that Midov tried to use his personal connections, in order to be appointed head of the country Prosecutor’s Office in Haskovo in 2009.

The appeal of the prosecutor from the Bulgarian city of Pleven, Dimitar Zahariev, has also been rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court, which has ruled his demotion in rank for three years.

The magistrates decided that Zahariev has intended to participate in a competition for head of the administration and with his repeated talks to Georgiev, he behaved in a way that “raises doubts in the society that he used unacceptable ways for a career development”.

The two rulings could be appealed again in the Supreme Administrative Court.

The scandal involving Krasimir Georgiev, from the northern city of Pleven, broke one year ago, when the Member of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), Ivan Kolev, revealed Krasio offered a number of magistrates to secure their high-ranking positions in exchange for cash. Several judges and magistrates, including Supreme ones, have been dismissed or resigned in the aftermath over proven contacts with Georgiev.

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