site.btaSofia City Court Denies Allegations about Delayed Criminal Cases

Sofia City Court Denies Allegations about Delayed Criminal Cases

Sofia, November 15 (BTA) - The Sofia City Court (SCC) issued a statement on Tuesday, denying allegations made by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassation on Monday about criminal cases at SCC that have been sitting without defined motives for eight years.

On Monday Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov submitted to the judicial college with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) summarized information about incomplete criminal proceedings of petty crimes at SCC and the Sofia Regional Court. The consideration of these cases has continued for over two years, Tsatsarov's office said Monday. The alert features 40 cases at Sofia City Court and 342 cases at Sofia Regional Court. Tsatsarov has also sent information about four cases at Sofia City Court where there is a considerable delay in the definition of motives. The information sent by Tsatsarov was provided by the administrative heads of the Sofia City Prosecution Office and Sofia Regional Prosecution Office.

No such findings have been made during any of the checks conducted by the SJC, its Inspectorate or the Sofia Appellate Court, the SCC statement says. The SCC leadership finds the circulation of unverified and completely false information to be absolutely unacceptable, let alone by Bulgaria's Prosecutor General, the Court's position reads.

The SCC leadership will provide to the SJC the reference it has demanded, after which it will ask that the SJC's college of judges comes out with a position regarding the case.