site.btaSupreme Court of Cassation to Rule on Case against Tsvetan Tsvetanov within a Month

Supreme Court of Cassation to Rule on Case against Tsvetan Tsvetanov  within a Month

Sofia, April 17 (BTA) - Tsvetan Tsvetanov MP of GERB appeared at
the hearing of his case by the Supreme Court of Cassation on
Friday.

Tsvetanov, who was interior minister of Boyko Borissov's first
cabinet, was given four years in prison by the first- and
second-instance courts for thwarting an investigation against
the former director of the organized crime squad in the North
Central town of Veliko Turnovo, Orlin Todorov, and other staff
members. The prosecutor produced documents showing that
Tsvetanov refused the use of special surveillance means against
them authorized by a judge.

The prosecutor said that the former interior minister had no
legal right to refuse the use of special surveillance means. His
actions were termed "unacceptable interference of the executive
in the judiciary's work".

Tsvetanov told the court he was confident that justice would
triumph and that he appeared before it as a token of respect,
although he was not obliged to do it by law.

Tsvetanov's lawyer, Menko Menkov, said the former interior
minister should be fully acquitted because he exercised his
legal power to refuse the use of special surveillance means as
other ministers had done before him. The lawyer also said
Tsvetanov had not been given a fair trial and asked that the
case be returned to the first-instance court. Menkov said that
unless the court ruled in favour of his client, they would
petition the European Court of Human Rights.

The Supreme Court of Cassation will pronounce on the case within
a month.