site.btaSupreme Cassation Court President Slammed for Meddling in Election of Next Supreme Judicial Council

Supreme Cassation Court President Slammed for Meddling in Election of Next Supreme Judicial Council

Sofia, May 11 (BTA) - The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Thursday slammed Supreme Court of Cassation President Lozan Panov for what they consider an "inadmissible attempt" to interfere with the process of electing judges to the next SJC. This position was set out in a decision that the Council adopted by a vote of 11 in favour and 7 against.

After the hearing Lozan Panov said that requesting information about the judges' general assemblies cannot possible constitute pressuring judges because information is in the public domain.

The SJC action was prompted by information that Panov had asked several appellate court presidents to send information whether general assemblies of judges had been held in the respective appellate regions and whether candidates for SJC members had been nominated.

The nearly four-hour-long discussion that led to the decision against Panov reflected a clash between two schools of thought in the SJC: one which supports and another which opposes the idea of "regional representation" of judges in the SJC.

Panov is in the "against" camp. He argues hat regional representation is an inapplicable idea at the moment because judges have to elect six members to the SJC and there are five appellate regions.

By contrast, four of all five regional appellate court presidents who were heard at the SJC meeting on Thursday spoke in favour of "regional representation" but insisted they had not put any pressure on the judges in their court to vote in a way that would ensure that each region is represented in the next SJC.

The Judicial System Act does not provide for regional representation and says that any judge with the requisite experience and accomplishments is entitled to run for, and be elected to, the SJC.

The SJC also defeated a motion forbidding local court presidents from meddling in the nomination process and in the way in which new SJC members will be voted for at the forthcoming SJC elections.

After the meeting, Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva limited herself to saying that she did not hear anybody say that Panov had violated the Judicial System Act or the Constitution.

According to the Justice Minister, the procedure of electing new SJC members is currently in line with the law.

Tsacheva added that she expects more self-discipline from the present members of the Council.

Before the SJC meeting, Panov said the attacks against him were tantamount to harassment.