The lack of quorum failed the meeting of the Judicial Panel, which was expected to adopt a work report of the Special Committee on facts and circumstances related to the participation of judges in the activities of the group of Martin Bozhanov nicknamed the Notary, who was killed in January 2019. It became clear that five of the judges are on leave – Chairmen of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) Georgi Cholaĸov, Boyan Hovansky, Sevdalin Mavrov, Dragomir Koyadzhiĸov and Stefan Gozdev. Veronika Imova is absent due to sick leave. All members of the Committee appeared. Boyan Magdalinchev was also present.
The Judicial Panel will make an attempt in the next week to review the case and to assess whether the activities of the Special Committee will be extended until September 30. At the last meeting, the Temporary Committee, whose mandate is three months, decided to make a report on the final date and to extend the term of the Special Committee until September 30.
The committee on the Bozhanov case was established on 14 February after the murder of the broker and was headed by the two chairmen of the Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative Court – Galina Zakharova, Georgi Cholakov. In addition to them, it also includes Atanaska Disheva, Tsvetinka Pashkunova, Veronika Imova, Olga Kepelsĸa and Daniela Marcheva.
At the first meeting of the Committee, it was decided to request information about all the cases in which Martin Bozhanov was included in the process. It is reported that the Special Committee has requested from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) two documents, on the basis of which the investigations into the murdered in January Martin Bozhanov and wanted former investigator Petyo Petrov have been completed, known as Pepi Evroto. The experts have requested data from the Prosecutor’s Office on the progress of the proceedings and the preliminary certificates of the courts in the period from January 1, 1998 to the present moment. It was important for them to know who the acting judges are and how they decided the cases.
It was decided to prepare a systematic review of all media publications on the Notary and the Eight Dwarfs cases, and to request information on the motions for impeachment pending before the specialized court, regarding Veselin Denĸov, the main protagonist in the investigation of the Anti-Corruption Fund „List of Emergency Control“, in 2021, the group for influence in the judicial system around Martin Bozhanov was also revealed. Sami Denĸov will be heard on June 19.
From the transcript of the meeting of 25 February 2020, at which Vladislava Tsarigradska and Tsveto Lazarov were heard, it became clear that even then the members of the Council were aware of the activities of Bozhanov’s group.
„There are 20 lawsuits against him. He’s a fraud!“, Boyan Hovanski pointed out. At this hearing, judges Vladislava Tsarigradska and Tsvetko Lazarov spoke about the pressure on them from Bozhanov’s group and how the pressure was turned against them. This happened while Tsarigradska was deciding a case related to Bozhanov’s personal property in Karlukovo, and Lazarov – properties in the central part of Sofia.
„It seems to me that this is a significant infringement of the independence of the judiciary when you are called upon to give an explanation in relation to your professional activity,“, Krassimir Shepedzhiev noted.
Days after the shooting of Martin Bozhanov, evidence of his connections in the magistrate and political circles emerged. A Temporary Committee was set up in the 49th National Assembly to look into the facts and circumstances of Bozhanov’s activities. On 30 April, the Committee held its last meeting, which failed to reach a majority.
There is no public information on what is happening with the investigation into the death of the Notary, as well as on his influence in the judiciary, the foundation summarized.
