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Bulgaria Interior Minister Sends Mixed Signals about Judiciary [Feb 02, 2012] Speaking at a seminar on combating corruption, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has yet again sent mixed signals about the work of the judiciary. In his Thursday statement, Tsvetanov said that there were many honest magistrates, but there were also many examples which pointed to a poorly done job. The Interior Minister assured that his words were aimed at sharing existing problems, rather ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria MPs to Start 2012 with Long-Delayed Key Bills in Pipeline [Jan 10, 2012] Bulgaria's first parliamentary session for the new year, due on Wednesday, is hoped to map out the timeline for implementing key and long-delayed reforms, including the much touted crack-down on illegal assets. Officially, the ruling majority have vowed to implement this year radical reforms in the field of education, health and judiciary. At the end of 2011 Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Excels in Organized Crime, Corruption Acquittals - EC Report 2011 [Jul 20, 2011] Bulgaria has failed to achieve "convincing results" in its fight against organized crime and corruption, according to the annual monitoring report of the European Commission on its post-EU accession progress. The EC is about as critical of Bulgaria's continuing failure to crack down on organized crime and corruption as it is of the country's flawed reform of the judiciary. The 2011 monitoring ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Judiciary, Interior Ministry Too Expensive, Inefficient- Report [Jun 18, 2011] Bulgaria's justice and home affairs expenditures are too high and are inadequately distributed, according to a newly published report. The findings of the Open Society Institute (OSI), as cited by Pari daily, indicate that Bulgaria's judiciary and police absorb excessive amounts of money to sustain a huge staff while refraining from other investments. Bulgaria spends at least twice as much as ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Interior Minister Persists with Criticisms of Bulgaria Judiciary [May 17, 2011] Bulgaria's interior minister has persisted with criticisms of the country's justice system, despite accusations from abroad that his statements erode confidence in the judiciary and threaten to undermine the magistrates' independence. "If the Ministry of Interior was not working as it does, the mafia would have a state," Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov stated in an interview for Bulgarian National ... [via YahooNews] More >>

UNUrges Bulgaria to Include Prosecution in Judicial Reform [May 17, 2011] The United Nations independent expert on the independence of judges and lawyers today urged Bulgaria to include its prosecution service in the reform of its judiciary to streamline the administration of justice in the European country. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Chief Magistrates: US Envoy's Allegations False, Perplexing [Apr 05, 2011] Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev and President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Lazar Gruev have rejected the claim of US ambassador to Sofia James Warlick that Bulgaria's judiciary acts differently for common people and for those with power. "We are bewildered by the position of His Excellency James Warlick that Bulgaria has two judicial system - one for the poor and one for the rich ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria welcomes "positive" EU progress report [Feb 18, 2011] (SOFIA ) - Bulgaria welcomed on Friday the European Commission's "positive" and "objective" report on its progress in terms of judiciary reforms and the fight against crime and corruption. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Interior, Judiciary Draw Daggers Yet Again [Oct 14, 2010] The ongoing war between Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the judiciary saw new bloody clashes in the wake of a court ruling to release from jail ex undercover agent Aleksei Petrov, aka "The Octopus" or "The Tractor". [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's government, judiciary at each other's throats over alleged plot [Aug 12, 2010] Bulgaria's judiciary has been accused of corruption after suspects accused of plotting to kill the prime minister were released - due to lack of evidence. The EU has warned Sofia to tackle organized crime and corruption. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Interior Minister Skips Seeing Judges to Iron out Conflict (Novinite.com) [Mar 11, 2010] Bulgaria?s Interior Minister Tsvetanov did not show at a meeting in which he was supposed to discuss his contradictions with the judiciary. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Interior Minister Outraged by Courts over Drug Boss Sentence (Novinite.com) [Mar 05, 2010] Bulgaria?s Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has renewed his criticism of the country?s judiciary, this time over the case of a drug trafficker sentenced in Greece. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Top Judge: No War Between our Institutions (Novinite.com) [Feb 25, 2010] Lazar Gruev, Chair of Bulgaria?s Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) has weighed in to the ongoing war of words between the executive and judiciary powers. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Top Judge: No War Between our Institutions (Novinite.com) [Feb 25, 2010] Lazar Gruev, Chair of Bulgaria's Supreme Cassation Court, has added his voice to the battle of words between the judiciary and the country's most senior politicians. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria FinMin: Magistrates' Spending Must Rely on Conscience (Novinite.com) [Jan 04, 2010] Bulgaria?s Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, is leaving the decision about spending the judicial system State subsidy on the judiciary?s ethics. The BGN 19 M were transferred from the Finance Ministry to the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) account on the day before the last 2009 work day in Bulgaria. [via YahooNews] More >>