SCC Chair Vladimira Yaneva is facing a series of inspections over allegedly false property declarations and conflict of interest infringements. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Audit Office has found no irregularities with the property declarations of Vladimira Yaneva, the newly appointed Chair of the Sofia City Court, for 2007, 2009 and 2010.
The results were announced by the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), whose Professional Ethics and Prevention of Corruption Commission initiated the check.
The new SSC Chair, whose controversial appointment triggered a spate of resignations of senior judges, has faced allegations of submitting non-exhaustive property statements and committing conflict-of -interest violations by attempting to halt a trial that could implicate her father in murky real estate deals.
According to the Bulgarian audit authority, Yaneva has duly described all real estates acquired in the abovementioned periods, failing, however, to report a mortgage on an apartment with a total area of 107.25 square meters in Sofia imposed to secure a bank loan of EUR 50 000.
Declarations submitted by Yaneva for 2011 are to be checked following the procedure under the Law on Property Disclosure by Persons Occupying Senior State Positions, with the results to be published on the website of the regulatory body by end-2011, according to the Audit Office.
VSS's ethics watchdog will discuss Monday the work of the new SCC Chair on one of the trials against municipal firm Sofiyski Imoti.
Last week, Yaneva refused to declare her self-withdrawal from the trial, rejecting conflict of interest allegations, although as a proxy of her father she had bought two pieces of property at preferential prices from the company.
Yaneva's hearing has been scheduled for the next session of VSS, June 27, when she will be required to present all documents pertaining to the case against Sofiyski Imoti, as well as all documents for the deal she sealed as a proxy of her father.