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© Georgi Kozhukharov
Maybe we used to expect too much help from abroad, from Europe, from the United States. It was a mistake. It is up to us to change this country. But I also have a big request: Europe does not close its eyes and be silent about the situation in Bulgaria. “
This is how Lozan Panov responds to a question from SPIEGEL magazine about the chances of success of the demos this time, after the previous ones have changed very little. The interview of the president of the Supreme Court of Cassation was presented in support of the protest by the second essential judge (together with the president of the Supreme Administrative Court) of Bulgaria. It is published under the title “Europe must not close its eyes and be silent”.
According to him, Delyan Peevski is in fact a co-prime minister and key institutions and authorities are under his influence. “This undermines three foundations of real democracy: an independent court, free media and strong opposition. This is why many citizens feel that they live in a ‘hijacked’ country.”
In the conversation, Panov explained that in Bulgaria a special oligarchic mix of legislative, executive and judicial power has been created. “In a normal country, as a judge, I should stay away from politics. But in our case, I have to say: yes, Bulgaria is a captive country and this is something that European politicians do not want to recognize.”
When Spitel asked him to give a concrete example of “kidnapped” and corrupt justice, he replied that “the least important part” of him was in that state. “Of course there are independent judges, but this is a structural problem,” he continued, explaining why the Supreme Council of the Judiciary is made up mainly of members who are politically appointed and controlled by politicians. “Therefore, it can be argued that the most important part of the Bulgarian judiciary is politically influenced and prone to corruption. All the judicial reforms of recent years are just a simulation.”
Delyan Peevski is in fact co-prime minister and key institutions and authorities are under his influence.
President of the Supreme Court of Cassation, before SPIEGEL Magazine
Panov’s concrete example is that of Daniela Doncheva, president of the Sofia Court of Appeals, who 3 years ago snatched a case from her colleague in a case for about 51 million euros, “in which she played a dubious role” . She ordered an inspection and the subsequent audit confirmed to the SJC Inspection that she had violated the rules of procedure, but this had no consequences for her.
For the German edition, Panov explained that the prosecution in Bulgaria continues to follow the old Soviet model, the chief prosecutor is not accountable to anyone and can change or terminate any investigation of any prosecutor who reports to him. “Borissov does not want to change any of this. On the contrary, he wants to give it even more power, and this is dangerous,” the judge commented on a question about what he thinks about the constitution proposed by GERB.
EU funds are contributing to the growth of cancer in Bulgaria. That is why today people are on the streets, fighting cancer.
President of the Supreme Court of Cassation
The president of the Supreme Court of Cassation is particularly keen in his assessment of the so-called follow-up by the European Commission, which last year concluded that Bulgaria has met all the requirements for judicial reform. “It’s like a cancer patient with affected vital organs, but they give him a candy after a medical examination. In the EU, these candies are in the form of billions of euros in funding. This is how you help cancer keep growing in Bulgaria. They are on the streets, fighting cancer. “
The European institutions are well informed about what is happening here, Panov continues, because he personally sent several reports to the European Commission on the state of justice.
Details can be found later at www.dnevnik.bg.
