There has been no evidence of threats against Judge Vladislava Tsarigradska or her family since February 29 when Ilko Zahariev was detained, an Interior Ministry probe found, the prosecutor's office said.
The data are from a report by acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Miroslav Rashkov in compliance with an order by acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov to request all available information about threats against the judge and her family. This step was in response to statements by Tsarigradska on October 15, 2024, before the Supreme Judicial Council.
The report contains data on publicly known information about a probe launched in 2022 at the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime in connection with threats against the judge during an open court session at the Lukovit District Court on January 14, 2020. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, and work on the case is ongoing.
In addition, on February 19, 2024 threats against judge Tsarigradska and her family were received via e-mail by the Pleven District Court. Law enforcers managed to establish the IP address, date, and hosting provider concerning the registration of the mailbox used to send the threatening messages. From the checks carried out, it was established that the user who registered the mailbox was Ilko Zahariev.
On February 21, messages containing insults and life threats were sent from another email inbox to multiple recipients including judge Tsarigradska.
On February 29, as a result of numerous investigative actions, Ilko Zahariev was identified and detained, and he was charged as a defendant. Since the identification of the person, no other data, including in classified documents, containing threats against the life of Tsarigradska or members of her family have been available, according to the report.
On March 19, the court refused to leave Zahariev in indefinite custody and released him.
In mid-October, Tsarigradska told the Supreme Judicial Council that judges are put in a helpless situation. She was speaking during her hearing about the progress of the criminal proceedings related to threats against her.
/PP/
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