The election and the hearing of Sarafov for Prosecutor General will be on 16 January
On January 16, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) will hear acting Prosecution General Borislav Sarafov, who is also the only candidate for a new prosecutor general, before voting on his nomination. The SJC plenum will ask questions sent by NGOs and professional organizations, and then the vote will take place. This decision was adopted today by a vote of the Plenum of the SJC. 14 of the members were in favor and only Olga Kerelska and the President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Galina Zakharova were against.
Last week, the prosecutors' collegium adopted the reports of two committees - on appraisal and competitions and on professional ethics - on Sarafov's professional qualities and moral integrity, and he was admitted to the hearing. The reports were discussed on 26 November in the two committees and according to the conclusions Sarafov meets all the requirements to be elected prosecutor general.
MPs fail to elect a speaker on the tenth attempt
The National Assembly continued its series of failed attempts to select a speaker on Thursday.
Natalia Kiselova, nominated by the socialist BSP party and Silvi Kirilov from TISP received the most votes today in the first round. In the second, Kiselova was supported by MRF- New Beginning of sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski and received 118 votes, which were two short of the 120 she needed to become speaker.
Kirilov then received the endorsement of 90 MPs from WCC, TISP, Vazrazhdane, Ahmed Dogan's ARF faction and Metch, but 120 voted against and 19 abstained. The failure to elect a speaker once again continues the deadlock that prevents Parliament from properly starting its work. The next sitting that will attempt to vote a speaker is on Friday at 10AM.
South-West University files three SLAPP cases against whistleblowing former employee
The South-West University Neofit Rilski and its Rector Prof. Nikolay Marin have filed three lawsuits against historian Prof. Stefan Dechev who is a former lecturer at its History Department, Svobodna Evropa reported on Thursday.
The total value of the requested damages is 650,000 levs. The reason for filing the lawsuits is Dechev's statements to the media, in which he describes serious violations at the university. A year ago, the former lecturer reported irregularities in the university, linked to the falsification of grades and the issuance of diplomas. In January of this year, the Ministry of Education confirmed it has also found violations, but no measures were taken against the university.
The case falls in the category of strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, which are lawsuits, usually against civil activists and journalists, for large sums of money that aim to deny the accused the ability to work on socially important issues.
The election and the hearing of Sarafov for Prosecutor General will be on 16 January
On January 16, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) will hear acting Prosecution General Borislav Sarafov, who is also the only candidate for a new prosecutor general, before voting on his nomination. The SJC plenum will ask questions sent by NGOs and professional organizations, and then the vote will take place. This decision was adopted today by a vote of the Plenum of the SJC. 14 of the members were in favor and only Olga Kerelska and the President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Galina Zakharova were against.
