Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council reacted negatively to a representative analysis prepared by the Council's Inspectorate. The analysis is dedicated to the 4000 prosecutor's office lawsuits returned last year for further investigation.

The strong reaction forced Anna Karaivanova, the head of the newly created agency to withdraw the document.

The report's main purpose was to respond to the European Commission's criticism regarding the fact that too many emblematic lawsuits led by the office of the prosecutor have been returned by the court for further investigation.

However, instead of the review of those exact cases, the Supreme Judicial Court assigned the Inspectorate with the enormous task of examining all returned cases. For this reason, in mid-April, the Inspectorate has prepared only the analysis of the Veliko Turnovo's Appellate region. Further, due to the very short deadlines, many courts failed to respond by presenting their lawsuits.

The strong criticism coming from the Supreme Judicial Council members focused on the report's appalling spelling and its widespread use of archaic legal terms.

Ivan Kolev, former Chair of Sofia District Court was the strongest critic of the report. According to his statements, the analysis does not measure up to any requirements and will be ridiculed everywhere in the legal system due to its terrible legal language and bad grammar.

Professor Lazar Gruev, Chair of the Supreme Court of Appeal, stated that the majority of the decisions regarding the lawsuits cited in the report could not lead to the conclusions the analysis attempts to make. He also expressed his indignation from the fact that the thorough verifications task assigned by him has not been accomplished.

After the meeting, Anna Karaivanaova, the Inspectorate's head, stated in front of the media that she stood firm behind the inspectors' opinion. She explained that the analysis would not be changed due to the Supreme Judicial Council's objections.

The Inspectorate is a new agency of the Supreme Judicial Council, created by the last constitutional changes in the Judicial Authority Act. Its purpose is to oversee the activity of all judicial bodies without interfering with the essence of their jurisdiction.

The Inspectorate should help the Supreme Judicial Council in acquiring essential information needed for the execution of its legal powers. In addition to the regular, planned examinations, the Inspectorate can conduct such examinations by the request of civilians, legal representatives and state agencies. Its suggestions and reports are deemed additional guarantee that the citizens' rights and interests are protected.

The Supreme Judicial Council is yet to decide if the data from the report would be presented to the European Commission.

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