site.btaBulgarian Judge Appointed First President of Kosovo Specialist Chambers

Bulgarian Judge Appointed First President of Kosovo Specialist Chambers

Sofia, December 15 (BTA) - Prof. Dr Ekaterina Trendafilova has been selected among 148 candidates for appointment as the first President of the four Specialist Chambers of The Hague-based Kosovo Relocated Specialist Judicial Institution (KRSJI), the Bulgarian Justice Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.

The KRSJI was set up by the European Union to try alleged crimes against peace and humanity and war crimes committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Trendafilova's bid for the position was backed by Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. After the independent Selection Panel submitted its recommendation, EULEX Mission in Kosovo Head Alexandra Papadopoulou, who is the Appointing Authority, formally appointed the President.

The President of the Specialist Chambers is responsible for the judicial administration of the Specialist Chambers and other functions conferred upon her by the Law. The President also serves as presiding judge on the Supreme Court Panel of the Specialist Chambers.

Trendafilova will take office in January 2017 and will serve a four-year term.

Born in 1953, Trendafilova is a distinguished judge, lawyer and academic with extensive experience in international criminal law, criminal law, criminal procedural law and human rights law. She served as a Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2006 to 2015. Prior to her appointment to the ICC, she
worked as an expert at the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly, where she chaired the Criminal Division of the Legislative Consultative Council (2001-2006). Dr Trendafilova represented Bulgaria at the Vienna-based UN Commission for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (1992-1995). She was a deputy district prosecutor at the Sofia District Court (1985-1989) and a lawyer with the Sofia Bar Association (1995-2006).

She completed her PhD in 1984 and was a Humboldt (1993-1994) and a Fulbright scholar (1997). Trendafilova is a professor of criminal procedural law at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and at the St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. She has published in Bulgaria and abroad in the field of criminal procedure, human rights, international and comparative criminal justice. She has delivered lectures and has attended conferences and seminars in the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, the US, Colombia, Germany, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Italy, France, Poland, Switzerland, Romania, Serbia and Kosovo. Dr Trendafilova is a prominent member and president of a number of legal associations.

Speaks English, German and Russian. Married, with one daughter.