The prosecutor's office is investigating a judge for his refusal to confiscate Ivaylo Noizi - Tsvetkov's car.
This is clear from a letter from the judge himself - Miroslav Petrov, to the Supreme Judicial Council, reports "Sega". The magistrate insists that the SJC take measures to protect his integrity in connection with the prosecutor's investigation, which is on the occasion of his ruling on a specific case - that of Noizi, who was caught driving after drinking alcohol. The prosecutor's office, in principle, does not have the authority to review judicial acts. When it disagrees with them, it can refer the matter to a higher instance. Checks against judges were a common practice in the era of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, but in recent years this is a precedent.
Ivaylo Tsvetkov - Noizy was caught driving drunk on November 17, 2023. The breathalyzer recorded 2.2 per mille of alcohol, and the blood test showed an even higher concentration - 2.52 per mille.
In February 2024, the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office brought the case to court, with Tsvetkov being charged with drunk driving, which carries a penalty of 1 to 3 years in prison and a fine of 200 to 1,000 leva. On August 8, 2023. The amendments to the Criminal Code came into force, which regulate that the court shall seize the motor vehicle used to commit the crime for the benefit of the state, and when it is not the property of the perpetrator - its equivalent shall be awarded.
On March 18, 2024, Tsvetkov entered into an agreement with the prosecutor's office, pleading guilty and being sentenced to 10 months suspended with 3 years of probation and was left without a driver's license for a year and 2 months. The prosecutor's office also proposed that his car be confiscated. On June 6, 2024, Miroslav Petrov, who is a judge at the Sofia District Court, ordered the BMW to be returned to Tsvetkov, referring directly to the Constitution. A case has been filed in the Constitutional Court regarding this provision, and recently a judge from the Veliki Preslav District Court also referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The prosecutor's office protested Judge Petrov's ruling before the Sofia City Court, where the case is still pending.