Send to Kindle
Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council was among the top producers of scandals in 2012. Photo by BGNES
Following is a ranking of the most important public and political scandals and gaffes in Bulgaria in 2012, according to the journalists of Novinite.bg, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), and Novinite.ru
Greatest Public Scandals in Bulgaria in 2012
1. Scandals in the Bulgarian judiciary – failure of two Constitutional Court nominations, dismissal of judge Miroslava Todorova, suspicious election of a new of Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) and of Sotir Tsatsarov as the new Chief Prosecutor, failure of the SAPARD trial, acquittal of notorious lobbyist Krasio the Black
2. Scandal in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church with the scramble of the bishops over who should succeed deceased Patriarch Maxim
3. Disappearance of notorious mobsters Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, aka the Galevi Brothers, after they were finally sentenced to five years in prison for organized crime
4. Scandal following revelations that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov transported his amateur football club, known as the Bistritsa Tigers, using the plane of the Bulgarian government
5. Changing the question for Bulgaria's referendum for a second nuclear power plant regardless of the fact that several hundred thousand Bulgarian citizens has signed a petition with a question focusing specifically on the Belene NPP project
6. Rejection by the Holy See of the nomination of Kiril Marichkov Jr. as Bulgaria's new Ambassador to the Vatican
7. Corruption scandal in Bulgaria's Scientific Research Fund
8. Scandal over the bonuses that senior Bulgarian civil servants in the Registry Agency awarded to themselves
9. Hoheger Scandal – suspicions that Austrian politicians were bribed with money from the Bulgarian government through Austrian lobbyist Peter Hoheger
10. Subsiding of the Lukoil saga in which, after several months of a conflict with the state, the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Bulgaria got back its licenses that were repealed in 2011 over alleged violations
Bulgaria's Greatest Public Blunders in 2012
1. Refusal of the CRIM Special Committee of the European Parliament focused on organized crime, corruption, and money laundering to investigate the reports of the so called "dark past" of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov based on leaked US diplomatic cables on WikiLeaks
2. Failed attempt to adopt amendments to the Bulgarian Electoral Code in Parliament
3. Failed campaign of former Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov to take over the leadership of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
4. Postponement once again of the launch of Danube Bridge 2 between Bulgaria and Romania, which was supposed to be launched by the end of 2012
5. Weak results of Bulgarian athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London which resulted in a record low number of Olympic medals for Bulgaria
6. Repeated statements by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that today's Bulgaria is more democratic than ever before as well as a whole range of other "boykovisms"
7. Statement by Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Anton Kutev that socialism, and the BSP respectively, is like AIDS – its membership is "inherited or sexually transmitted"
8. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov napping and texting during the 2012 Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo
9. Failed Bulgarian business forum in Qatar followed by the dismissal of Bulgaria's then Economic Minister Traicho Traikov
10. Frontpage headline in a leading Bulgarian sports daily: "CSKA's New Players - Italian, Swede and Two Blackies".
*Given the large number of scandals and gaffes in Bulgaria public life these lists do not claim to be absolutely exhaustive
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Bulgarian lawmakers made significant strides with the second reading of constitutional amendments, endorsing a pivotal change in the process of appointing and dismissing the Prosecutor General
False start of the procedure for removal of the Bulgarian Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev. The Supreme Judicial Council again did not start the debate on the signals against Geshev. After 3 hours of disputes and a number of procedural steps, the meeting wa
Urgent measures are needed to reduce the Prosecutor General's influence on the next Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in Bulgaria. This is stated in the assessment of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on our implementation of the decisions
Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council on September 8 started the procedure for selection of European delegated prosecutors.
Deputy Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev remains the only Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) nomination for Prosecutor General, BGNES reported.
The Plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council will hold a sitting today, July 15, when the procedure for election of the Chief Prosecutor will be opened.
"Amnesty International" has released its annual report, shining a spotlight on Bulgaria's ongoing human rights challenges, including the erosion of freedom of expression, violations against the LGBT community, and the proliferation of hatred against ethni
During the night, showers are expected in some areas, primarily in the western and northern regions, while the rest of the country will experience clearing skies
A recent study conducted by the sociological agency "Global Metrics" on behalf of UNICEF Bulgaria and the Ministry of Health sheds light on the attitudes of Bulgarian parents towards vaccination
Bulgaria has crowned not one, but two Spelling Bee champions this year
The municipal council of Burgas has opted to extend the operation of the city's "green zone" for paid parking throughout the entire year, with both summer and winter hours
As concerns over public health continue to mount, Parliament is deliberating on proposed amendments to the Health Act aimed at cracking down on indoor smoking, encompassing all smoking products, including non-tobacco alternatives and hookahs
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022
