Vladimira Yaneva, the controversially appointed head of the Sofia City Court (SCC) boasting a family friendship with Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has withdrawn from the notorious Sofia Properties case.

The move happened on July 22, the Legal World magazine informs. This had been the first working day for the magistrate after taking 2 weeks of sick leave. She went on sick leave in the midst of revelations she had committed conflict of interests in the above said case.

Bulgarian media further report that two days before announcing she was withdrawing from the case and while still on sick leave, Yaneva attended the baptizing of Tsvetanov's baby daughter.

The Sofia Properties case now has to be assigned to another judge.

The scandal broke after reports Yaneva had bought properties from Sofiyski Imoti (Sofia Properties) as a proxy of a company owned by her father, thereby violating the ban on commercial activities for magistrates. When 8 years later she had been assigned the case against the former manager of Sofiyski Imoti, she had delayed it by 7 months before dismissing it. Her rule had been revoked by the Sofia Court of Appeals, but Yaneva never scheduled a single session in this process.

In June, the magistrate sent a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council, VSS, admitting all reported facts, but failing to withdraw. In addition to the Sofiyski Imoti case, a probe of the Judicial Inspectorate found she had delayed another 43 cases.

Yaneva's appointment as Chair of SCC all while being a family friend of the Interior Minister triggered outrage and a wave of resignations in the country's judicial system as a sign of protest.