Dear Editor,

I write to applaud the views and conclusions expressed by Mark West in the May 2, 2006, edition of the Sofia Morning News.

It is my honour to serve Bulgaria as Honorary Consul in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, region of the United States. It was my privilege to assist the Bulgarian Magistrates Training Center during the summers of 2000, 2001, and 2002, as a lecturer upon Judicial Ethics.

I am of the firm and certain view that the judges who journeyed from throughout Bulgaria to attend those seminars were and are individuals of integrity and well serve the justice systems of their country. The basis for my view is the instinct moulded and intuition shaped by eight years as an elected prosecutor of a large area in Pennsylvania and a quarter-century as a Pennsylvania appellate jurist. It is my fervent hope that the judges of Bulgaria will soar above the clouds of criticism and continue to diligently minister to The Rule of Law.

May I also commend Supreme Court of Cassation Chief Justice Ivan Grigorov for the emphasis he places upon the independence of the judicial branch of government and for his view that mingling executive functions with those of the judiciary is an intrusion upon the independence of both of those branches of government.

Thank you for the opportunity to express these thoughts and, of course, for the superb fashion in which you keep us aware of what is happening in Bulgaria.

Very truly yours,
Steve McEwen
Honorary Consul

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