SAC Deputies to Lead During President’s Leave

The two deputy presidents of Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court (SAC), Marinika Cherneva and Lyubomir Gaydov, will temporarily lead the court while acting president Georgi Cholakov is on leave until the end of September. This follows a decision by the Supreme Judicial Council’s Judges Chamber, as the SAC Plenum cannot convene due to several judges being on leave, CE Report quotes BTA

Cholakov’s seven-year term expired last November, and recent amendments to the Judicial System Act, effective since January, limit acting heads of the SAC, Supreme Court of Cassation, or Prosecutor General to a six-month term. However, the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council by July 21, which would appoint permanent replacements, has not yet taken place.

Meanwhile, controversy arose when the Prosecutors Chamber of the SJC ruled that the six-month limit does not apply retroactively to the acting Prosecutor General Ivan Sarafov, who has served since June 2023. This decision has sparked protests, with the Justice for All initiative planning a demonstration on July 22 against Sarafov’s indefinite tenure.