1995 Cases Clog Sofia City Court

The delayed legal cases in Bulgarian Courts create a negative attitude towards the judicial system as a whole. File photo

Cases filed in 2004-2006 for crimes committed in 1995-1997 are still dragging on and clogging the Sofia City Court.

The information is included in the report of the Inspectorate at the Supreme Judicial Council, presented by Chief Inspector, Ana Karaivanova, as an account for the first 4-year term of the institution.

Karaivanova stresses that these "obsolete" cases, though a small portion of all cases, create a negative attitude towards the judicial system as a whole and become grounds for Bulgaria to be sentenced by the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg.

According to inspectors, many cases are delayed over activities or inactivity of magistrates, who do not use the law to discipline the parties in the process. The delays also lead to termination over prescription and non-disclosure of the truth.

Deputy Justice Minister, Denitsa Valkova, announced that a special unit will be established at the Inspectorate to investigate problems with guilty verdicts against Bulgaria in Strasbourg.

Since its inception in 2008, the Inspectorate has requested disciplinary sanctions against 184 judges, prosecutors and investigators.

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