3 Bulgarian Judges Fired over Real Estate Scandal

Politics » DOMESTIC | May 18, 2010, Tuesday // 12:18
Bulgaria: 3 Bulgarian Judges Fired over Real Estate Scandal Chair of the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) Konstantin Penchev dissmised three senior judges over an emerging corruption scandal. Photo by BGNES.

Three senior judges have been dismissed by the Chair of the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) Konstantin Penchev over an emerging corruption scandal.

The three magistrates, each of whom heads a department at the VAS were fired on Tuesday as they have been accused of helping close relatives to obtain beach-front real estate property in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Primorsko thanks to their acquired status of people on social benefits.

Judge Panayot Genkov has been removed from office as the head of the “First A” Department at the Supreme Administrative Court; Judge Nikolay Urumov has been dismissed as the head of the Third Department at VAS; and Judge Andrey Ikonomov has been fired from the head position of the Fifth Department at VAS.

Konstantin Penchev has assigned the pending cases at the three departments to the deputy chairs of the court Veneta Markovska and Galina Solakova until new heads of departments are appointed.

The scandal was exposed by an investigation of the “Kapital” Weekly revealing that Urumov's daughter Denitsa Urumova, who is actually a Junior Judge at the Blagoevgrad District Court, is building a hotel in Primorsko, and that she obtained the construction permit by pretending to be on social benefits.

The Chair of the Supreme Administrative Court (VAS), Konstantin Penchev said Monday that Bulgaria's judicial staff must be carefully investigated before appointed to office. His statement was in response to the Justice Ministry's plans to set up new criteria for the selection of judicial staff.

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Tags: Supreme Administrative Court, Konstantin Penchev, corruption, judges, Justice Ministry, Kapital

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