< p>From whether a judge is free from all influence and influence means whether he will be able to guarantee to anyone who needs a court a just decision of his case, obeying only and only the evidence in the case. On the contrary, when external forces, forms of pressure, corruption can influence the judge, no citizen or company will be sure that if they end up in court, they will not receive protection of their rights. In a state of crisis, judges are obliged to inform the public about what is happening and what is wrong in the system and about every single potential risk.
This was stated by judge Vladislava Tsarigradska in the program “Face to Face” on BTV.
She commented on her hearing before the Judicial College of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
"I received threats not because Martin Bojanov – The notary had some case in the court in Lukovit. No, Martin Bojanov was used. This case has been pending for a whole year and no one has tried to influence me. Just a week before I received the media threats and what would follow, I gave an interview and informed the whole Bulgarian society of the danger the judges are in, because the then chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov had allowed himself to euphemistically threaten a three-member court that released the foreign citizen Pol Freeman. Then, to illustrate how omnipotent the Prosecutor's Office is and can influence the judicial status, I said that I could be accused of something absurd and just because of that I would be removed from my judicial position and all the cases entrusted to me would be taken away. The reason this self-torture started with me was back in 2019, because I objected verbally, informing about the risks," she explained.
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"I went yesterday because I was invited to be heard about the outrages that are being committed against Bulgarian justice and judicial independence. This is their problem because the citizens need the judges and the SJC exists only to administer the work of the judges. "Society does not need the SJC if it cannot fulfill its function of defending judicial independence and managing it in the best way," Tsarigradska shared.
The judge revealed how she affects judges who are not amenable to these illegitimate dark circles. “One of the means is, when there is evidence of influence, for the prosecution to be inactive. I was such a judge from 2020, when I was again placed under guard, but for the prosecution there was no crime. In addition, I argued that the pressure on judges is carried out through slanderous media campaigns that have a chilling effect, because a judge, in order to have authority and inspire confidence in citizens, must have the integrity and moral image to, abuses of the SRS, secret methods of controlling judges”, she listed.
"In just 5 years, from the reports of the National SRS Control Bureau, 150 permits were issued for the implementation of secret methods of control over magistrates. They were issued by only one person – the then chairman of the Appellate Specialized Court, Georgi Ushev. These requests were made mainly by the Anti-Corruption Commission, some by the Prosecutor's Office, there are also requests by the National Tax Service. What results are obtained and what is done with these requests no one knows, because the only legitimate purpose of allowing secret surveillance against any citizen is only and only to uncover serious crimes, to prove and to prosecute the perpetrators. We have no accusation", Tsarigradska did not hide her indignation.
When asked if she wanted to be the deputy prosecutor general, judge Tsarigradska said that it was said as a joke.