site.btaCC-DB Requests Yordan Stoev's Disciplinary Dismissal from Supreme Judicial Council

The Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition has submitted a request to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Plenum for the disciplinary dismissal of Yordan Stoev, a member of the SJC Prosecutors Chamber appointed through the parliamentary quota, the coalition said in a press release on Wednesday.

The request is based on public information, including an audio recording released by former prosecutor general Ivan Geshev, in which a person identified as Yordan Stoev is heard speaking. The conversation contains details of informal contacts with political figures, including mentions of “Boyko” and “Bankya,” [GERB leader Boyko Borissov lives in Bankya] as well as a discussion of the process of Geshev’s own dismissal.

In its reasoning, the CC-DB states that the content of the conversation reveals “a factual situation in which Y. Stoev acts as an informal intermediary between key political figures in the country and the prosecutor general,” including advice on how to resign in exchange for guarantees and possible future appointments as an ambassador.

According to the coalition, such behavior is in direct contradiction with the requirements for independence, impartiality, and political neutrality of SJC members. “The very existence of a publicly released recording of informal contacts… is an objective indication of a violation of legal and ethical standards,” the statement reads.

The CC-DB argues that the problem lies not only in this specific case, but in the lack of consequences for such behaviour. Stoev’s continued participation in personnel and disciplinary decisions, despite this evidence, further undermines trust in the Judiciary, the statement says.