Judge Nikola Petrov Chompalov from the Sofia City Court (SCC), seconded from October 2025 to the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC), is an illustration of the dangerous feeling of impunity in the judicial system.
Today, January 7, 2026, at 1:25 p.m., Judge Chompalov was noticed demonstratively smoking a cigarette in the public corridor next to the 10th courtroom in the Palace of Justice – an action that constitutes a clear act of disrespect for the laws, state institutions and citizens..
This was written on "Facebook" by attorney Metodi Lalov.
With this behavior, Chompalov directly violated:
- - Health Act - Art. 56, para. 1: Violation of the mandatory ban on smoking in closed public places.
- - The Code of Ethical Conduct of Bulgarian Judges: Compromising the requirements for integrity and high morality, which are mandatory for every magistrate.
- - Disciplinary norms: Complete disregard for the internal order in the building of the Courthouse.
When a magistrate publicly ignores legal prohibitions, a fundamental question arises: Can society rely on the objectivity of a judge who does not recognize the law as binding on him? Justice requires high morals, not behavior that puts personal comfort above the rules. The lack of self-control in the public sphere is a serious signal about how decisions are made and “in the dark“.
With such a clear disregard for the law, Judge Chompalov has lost the moral right to administer justice in the highest instance of the state. Therefore, I insist on:
- - Immediate termination of his secondment to the Supreme Court of Cassation.
- - Return to the Sofia City Court of Cassation, where a disciplinary investigation should be initiated against him and an appropriate punishment should be imposed on him.
Within the next few days, I will officially notify: SRZI; the administrative heads of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Bulgarian City Court; the Chairman of the Supreme Administrative Court, who is the owner of the Chamber of Justice; the Professional Ethics Commission.
