site.btaUPDATED Supreme Judicial Council Votes to Dismiss Prosecutor General Geshev

After some nine hours of deliberations Monday, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) voted to dismiss Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev for undermining the prestige of the judiciary. The motion for Geshev's removal was made by four members of the Prosecutors Chamber and was backed by 16 votes with four voting against it.

Most of the debate and vote on the removal motion took place in Geshev's absence as he left the SJC sitting early on Monday to fly to Strasbourg for a European Parliament hearing.

Geshev was elected to be Bulgaria's top prosecutor for a seven-year term in office in 2019.

To take effect, the SJC decision for his early dismissal needs to be decreed by the President.

The removal procedure was initiated after a statement made by Geshev on May 15 during a press conference in which he used the expression "political trash" to refer to politicians in Parliament. Geshev held the news conference after it had transpired that the largest party in the legislature, GERB, is determined to see him out of office.

The four prosecutors that initiated the procedure said that his language undermined the prestige of the judiciary.

"Risk of return to Politburo years"

In a comment before the SJC sitting Monday, Geshev said that he sees a risk for a return to totalitarianism. "If this is happening - from the attempt to assassinate the Prosecutor General to this politically inspired attempt to remove him, in violation of all principles, in violation of basic decency, you can imagine what can happen to an ordinary magistrate or an ordinary Bulgaria. There is a risk to return to the Politburo years when the country was run in violation of any principles for separation of powers," said Geshev.

He also said that "if the magistrates, the members of the Supreme Judicial Council - and all Bulgarians - bow down now, they will never again hold up their head".

He said in conclusion: "I believe in my colleagues, in the judicial system and I believe that the SJC members will not play into the political agenda of, maybe, Delyan Peevski and of Boyko Borissov".

Etymologist and opinion poll 

During the deliberations, Geshev insisted that an etymologist should be asked to say whether the phrase "political trash" which he used, is derogatory. The SJC did not grant this request and his other request for a poll to measure public approval of the judiciary.

He claims that he used that language in a state of affect and that it was not insulting.

He said: "After they try to kill you and this attempt fails, and an organized campaign starts against you, probably by GERB, you cannot remain calm. [...] This is a political attempt to capture the judicial power branch."

Geshev has repeatedly said that the procedure to remove him is an attempt by politicians to take control of the judiciary.