site.btaSupreme Judicial Council Splits into College of Judges and of Prosecutors

Supreme Judicial Council Splits into College of Judges and of Prosecutors

Sofia, April 14 (BTA) - The Supreme Judicial Council was officially divided into a college of prosecutors and a college of judges during a meeting on Thursday in accordance with recent amendments to the Constitution and the Judicial System Act. It was a major step in a much anticipated judicial reform.

The prosecutors' college includes Elka Atanassova, Mihail Kozharev, Roumen Boev, Roumen Georgiev, Yuliana Koleva, Yassen Todorov, Magdalena Lazarova, Nezabravka Stoeva, Vassil Petrov and Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov.

The judges' college includes Galya Georgieva, Daniela Kostova, Kalin Kalpakchiev, Kamen Ivanov, Milka Itova, Yulia Kovacheva, Sonya Naidenova, Galina Karagyozova, Karolina Nedelcheva, Dimiter Ouzounov, Maria Kouzmanova, Svetla Petkova, Supreme Cassation Court President Lozan Panov and Supreme Administrative Court President Georgi Kolev.

In a report on the matter, the mediapool.bg e-zine writes that for the first time on Thursday the majority in the SJC chose a compromise with the minority for the historic division after five reform-minded SJC threatened to resign if the judges' college ends up being considerably overpowered by the circle gravitating around Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov.

The SJC seconded a proposal by Sofia City Court President Kalin Kalpakchiev that the division will be made based on where the SJC member worked prior to taking the job at the Council. This sent three lawyers and former MP of the ruling GERB party, Yuliana Koleva, into the prosecutors' college along with all who have worked as prosecutors.

It leaves six reform-minded judges in the 14-member judges' college and while they remain a minority, they will have a blocking vote in decision-making even if only one of the majority is absent, mediapool.bg writes.