Bulgarian Supreme Court Revokes Controversial Sacking of Judge

Domestic | July 16, 2013, Tuesday // 19:52|  views

Former BJA Chair Miroslava Todorova, photo by BGNES

A five-judge panel of Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court, VAS, has revoked the removal of Miroslava Todorova from the post of a judge at the Sofia City Court.

Todorova, former Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA), was released from her duties as Sofia City Court judge by the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) a year ago over delayed presentation of motives in three trials, according to reports of mediapool.bg.

Although VAS revoked the dismissal in its Tuesday ruling, the court admitted that she had committed a disciplinary violation by delaying the presentation of written motives on three cases and returned her case for revision by VSS.

In January 2013, a three-judge panel of VAS confirmed Todorova's dismissal, which was triggered by the then Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who called her "a judge of the mafia" in an interview for private TV channel bTV.

In a series of media appearances, Tsvetanov accused her of incompetence and of patronizing organized crime because of the delayed presentation of the written motives to an eight-year jail sentence handed down to drug lord Vasil Manikatov.

Todorova filed a libel lawsuit against Tsvetanov, insisting that he had voiced untrue and defamatory allegations about her work as a judge and as Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association, BJA.

However, Tsvetanov was acquitted of libel as the court ruled that he had exercised his right to a personal opinion.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!


Tags: Miroslava Todorova, Supreme Judicial Council, VSS, Supreme Administrative Court, VAS, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, libel

Back  

» Related Articles:

Search

Search