Expats

Bulgaria's Norotious Mobster Pair Goes to Jail [May 03, 2012] Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations upheld Thursday the jail sentences of the notorious alleged mobster pair Angel Hristov and Plamen Galev, better known as the Galevi brothers. The magistrates, however, reduced Galev's sentence by two years and Hristov's by one on grounds they have clean criminal records and are known for charitable activities. Galev will thus serve 5 years behind bars while ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Resumes Impudent Kidnap Case despite Murder [Mar 26, 2012] The Sofia City Court resumed Monday the high-profile organized crime case codenamed The Impudent, after one of the alleged members of the gang with the same name was killed over the weekend. The magistrates lifted the charges against Kiril Kirilov AKA Shkafa (The Commode). Shkafa, who has a long rap sheet, was shot Saturday into Sunday in front of his apartment building in the Mladost-3 district ... [via YahooNews] More >>

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's Crack-Down on Illegal Assets Loses Ground [Dec 20, 2011] Bulgaria's top magistrates are quietly withdrawing their support from a number of planned reforms in the judicial system, including the adoption of a long-delayed bill on confiscation of unexplained wealth. "The idea itself is not that bad. But I believe that unexplained wealth should be seized only after a conviction.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court Reaffirms Elections Outcome [Dec 14, 2011] Bulgaria's Constitutional Court has overturned the request to recall the results from the October presidential elections. The information was announced Wednesday on the Court's official website. The magistrates have made the decision unanimously. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's High-Profile Mafia Case to Be Retried on Appeal [Oct 19, 2011] Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations returned Wednesday the case against alleged mobsters Krasimir and Nikolay Marinovi aka The Marguin Brother to the Sofia Court of Appeals. The magistrates from the lower instance are asked to reexamine the case to possibly lead to guilty verdicts for the brothers. The outcome of this long-dragging, high-profile organized crime trail is to become clear by the ... [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 >>

Bulgaria's Maybach Tank Thieves Appeal Guilty Verdict [Mar 21, 2011] The prosecution in the "Maybach" case asked the military appeals court Monday to upheld the verdicts issued by magistrates from the lower instance. On October 6, 2010, a German national, Thomas Gmainer, 36, and a Bulgarian army officer, Aleksei Petrov, were sentenced by the Sliven Military Court to 4 years in jail for stealing a vintage World War II tank. They were arrested while attempting to ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's 'Killers' Involved in 5 Murders for Hire [Sep 04, 2010] Bulgaria's Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, says the fact magistrates often release some of those arrested during special police operations should not be dramatized. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Largest Court Faces Collapse over Lack of Space [May 27, 2010] The Chair of Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations, Lazar Gruev, says the reckless attitude of the State during three cabinet terms had led to a humiliating situation for the Sofia magistrates. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Interior to Target 'Magistrates' in New Special Operation [May 21, 2010] Bulgarias Interior Ministry is about to launch a special police operation codenamed Magistrates targeting corrupt judges. [via YahooNews] More >>

Future Bulgaria Magistrates to be Inspected by Security Agency [May 17, 2010] Head of Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court (VAS), Kosntantin Pnechev, has proposed that a Judicial State Security Agency be set up to probe into the morale of future magistrates. [via YahooNews] More >>

Accrued Leaves Hinder Bulgaria Courts Work [May 03, 2010] Court in the Bulgarian Black sea capital Varna may stop working due to a large number of magistrates' accrued leaves. Bulgarian government has approved Wednesday an amendment to Bulgaria's Labor Code according to which all accrued paid leaves must be used up by the end of 2011. [via YahooNews] More >>

US Ambassador Blasts Corrupted Bulgaria Magistrates [Apr 16, 2010] The US Ambassador to Sofia, James Warlick, voiced strong criticism of Bulgarias judicial system, saying a dark cloud is hanging over the magistrates. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Interior Embarks on D?tente Course towards Judiciary [Apr 13, 2010] Bulgarias top magistrates should have access to information gathered by the intelligence services, according to Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. Tsvetanov spoke at a conference in Sofia dedicated to combating corruption. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Supreme Judges Determined to Probe Corrupt Magistrates [Apr 07, 2010] Bulgaria s Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) is prepared to investigate all magistrates involved in violations established through Interior Ministrys probes. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Supreme Judges Mull Expediting High-profile Cases (Novinite.com) [Mar 12, 2010] The magistrates from Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) are in the central city of Veliko Tarnovo Friday to discuss with judges, prosecutors and investigators the reasons for the notorious delays in high-profile court cases. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Judiciary Fires 2nd Magistrate over Corruption Scandal (Novinite.com) [Mar 04, 2010] For months now, Bulgaria's court system is shaken by the "Krasio from Pleven" corruption scandal involving violations of the ethical code of magistrates. [via YahooNews] More >>

4 Bulgaria Magistrates Demoted over Corruption Scandal (Novinite.com) [Feb 11, 2010] Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) decided Thursday to penalize 4 magistrates over their contacts with the scandalous Krasimir Georgiev aka ?Krasio from Pleven.? [via YahooNews] More >>

4 Bulgaria Magistrates Demoted over Corruption Scandal (Novinite.com) [Feb 11, 2010] For months now, Bulgaria's court system is shaken by the "Krasio from Pleven" corruption scandal involving violations of the ethical code of magistrates. [via YahooNews] More >>