Public law

German courts are refusing to execute European Arrest Warrants (EAW) and to extradite offenders to Bulgaria due to the appalling conditions in local prisons, according to reports of the prosecuting authority.

The Oldenburg District Court and the Higher Regional Court of Bremen have refused to extradite three Bulgarian nationals.

Head of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi on Thursday requested the notification of the Senate for the remand and pre-trial arrest of Darius Valcov, who tendered his resignation as Minister of Public Finance.

Darius Valcov
Photo credit: (c) Angelo BREZOIANU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS) has revoked the acquittal on the embezzlement case against the former head of the Registry Agency, Violeta Nikolova.

VKS is returning the case for retrial to the Sofia Appellate Court, according to reports of Sega daily.

Police detained Glavas after the Croatian supreme court ruled that the former general must be transferred to remand prison until the final verdict in his war crimes trial.

Petyo Petrov, outgoing head of the Sofia Investigative Service, has asked permission to leave the judicial system.

Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) is to determine on Thursday next week who will take over as interim head of the Sofia City Court, Yasen Todorov, from the Ethics Committee at the VSS, has said.

Todorov's interview with public broadcaster BNT followed a VSS step to remove the court's chairperson Vladimira Yaneva from office.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice has decided to release from custody the ex-Minister of Economy Adriean Videanu, currently under investigation by the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), in a file in which the ex-Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) Alina Bica also has a major role.

Photo credit: (c) Cristian NISTOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

A Bulgarian court has ruled to extradite to France a French citizen suspected of having been in close contact with the Kouachi brothers who had killed 12 people at the Paris office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The regional court in the Bulgarian town of Haskovo refused to extradite to France Fritz-Joly Joachin on charges of abduction.

The court has to decide on the request for his extradition on the basis of two European Arrest Warrants (EAW) - one concerning an attempt of kidnapping his child and the other one on terrorism, electronic daily Dnevnik reports.

A Bulgarian court will consider on Friday a request to extradite a French citizen charged with having been linked to Kouachi brothers who killed 12 people at the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine last week.