Bulgaria's Justice System or Who is Pulling the Court's Strings

The court drama involving the registration of the opposition, right-wing, Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) party, reached new heights Monday when a second Sofia City Court judge "unexpectedly" pulled out from trying the case.

The Court's press center initially declined to say the judge's name or to offer any comments, informing only the judge stated as motive "procedural obstacles."

Numerous media sources, however, were quick to report it was Judge Vaniona Zaprianova.

Zaprianova said she needed to step down because until now she had tried claims and made sentences in trials in which the UDF party has been a side. The good old "conflict of interest" excuse.

The move added a new chapter to the UDF registration saga.

In mid-April, Judge Dimana Yosifova, from the Sofia City Court, rejected the registration of the new UDF Chair, Martin Dimitrov, and he appealed the decision before the Supreme Court of Cassation.

On April 30, the Cassation Court returned the case to the City Court criticizing the rejection motives.

The true scandal erupted on that same April 30, when former UDF leader, Plamen Yurukov, submitted documents for the UDF's solo running in the upcoming elections for European Parliament, which the Central Election Commission approved on May 10.

Martin Dimitrov and the new UDF leadership were elected in December 2008, after Yurukov, himself, firmly declared he would not run for the Party's Chair post.

UDF, led by Dimitrov, decided later to forge a coalition for the EP and local elections with the other rightist opposition party - the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) and their leader, Ivan Kostov.

When the ball landed back with them, the City Court appointed a new Judge, Nikolay Madzharov, to try the registration case.

On May 7 Judge Madzharov withdrew. Zaprianova followed in his footsteps on May 11.

The Court's press center stated, that same evening, a new team of magistrates will have to be assigned and the selection is going to be made randomly by a computer.

Let's stop here. And take a deep breath.

The Sofia City Court official site http://www.scc.bg/ lists four judges with the authority to try the UDF and similar cases: Vanyona Zaprianova, Dimana Yosifova, Nikolay Madzharov and Rumyana Palikarova.

Question: Out of the four, who is the computer going to RANDOMLY assign?

Simple Math Answer: Judge Rumyana Palikarova, the last judge standing to try the case, will now hold the UDF fate in her hands.

Question: Who is Rumyana Palkarova?

Almost exactly to the date, a year ago, her name and the name of the Chair of the Sofia City Court, Svetlin Mihailov, were spelled in a widely publicized scandal involving the registration of Bulgaria's Chief Mufti.

In the beginning of May 2008, the Chair of the Supreme Muslim Council in Bulgaria, Nedim Gendzev, accused Mihailov and Palikarova of taking a bribe of BGN 0,5 M to arrange the election, forge documents, and register the current Chief Mufti, Alish Hadzi.

Numerous media publications from the time inform about the scandal and list Hadzi as someone very close to the leadership of the ethnic Turkish Party, Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

Gendzhev demanded then that Mihailov and Palikarova are dismissed form their posts.

As it often happens in Bulgaria, the media and the public interest faded, and the case was forgotten. Mihailov and Palikarova still hold their high-level legal offices.

On May 9 Mihailov declared that there was no practical way for the City Court to make a decision about the UDF registration by the May 12 deadline to submit documents for the European elections.

With Martin Dimitrov, elected not a month ago, but on December 21 2008, and with everything happening so far, one wonders if the complicated UDF registration saga is going to be even decided for Bulgaria's own parliamentary elections in July?

Time alone and those who pull the stings of our battered Courts цан say.

 

 

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