After Yaneva Gate: Vladimira Yaneva is a real estate developer and Georgi Kolev settles her case in the Supreme Administrative Court

The former head of the Sofia City Court, Vladimira Yaneva , has retrained herself into a construction contractor. However, her plans to build on an appetizing terrain in Krasno Selo are stalling because of a complaint by the regional town hall against the construction distances. Yaneva’s company lost at first instance and the case went to the “court of miracles” YOU. There, Yaneva’s close judge Georgi Kolev, former head of the Supreme Administrative Court, determined himself to administer justice in this case. No surprises, the case was resolved “correctly” and definitively in favor of Yaneva’s company. Judge Kolev does not even think that he should recuse himself because of his close relationship with the former scandalous judge.

Vladi and Joro

In 2015, one of the most memorable scandals of the decade broke – the so-called. Yaneva Gate. Then BIVOL released recordings in which the head of the Sofia City Court Vladimira Yaneva told in detail how she had “adjusted” the affairs, how close she was to Boyko, Joro (Bell. row. the head of the Supreme Administrative Court Georgi Kolev) and a bunch of other curious facts that in an unprecedented way illuminated the “rotten” in the Bulgarian judiciary – in general and in the SCC and the Supreme Administrative Court in particular. Along with these recordings, for example, we also learned how the case for the bankruptcy of Corpbank AD should have developed, how the trustees in bankruptcy led them “to Delyan“, how Sotir and Boyko decided which magistrate should be covered and who – an umbrella. We also learned how Joro
mobilized
support and “agreed” the SJC cadres to vote in a certain way. Unfortunately, we did not hear, but it is not difficult for a person to use his imagination.

Since then, a lot of time has passed and a lot of water has leaked. Scandals in the judiciary only accumulated, caught up and overtook each other. Suffice it to recall, for example, Mondeshki, TZUM-gate, the installation of the Apatride Trifonov as head of the Sofia City Court (guaranteed by the Supreme Administrative Court!) and, of course, Geshev’s brutal appearance for the Main Cap of the Republic – against the backdrop of thousands of protests in 2019 and 2020 against this trigger. We can continue the list, but we won’t get the page, and many more pages after that. And our goal is different – not only to remind readers of these “glorious” times of the Bulgarian court and prosecutor’s office, but also to follow a subsequent related plot that has developed over the past 12 months. A story that remained entirely under the radar of the mainstream media – and in which Vladimira Yaneva and “her” Joro again have a central role and a leading role.

Quietly rises RAINBOWS

The month is June 2019. Time has passed since the Yaneva Gate scandal subsided, and two years have passed since Yaneva herself was finally convicted by the Supreme Court of Cassation – the first and so far the only convicted

president of the court in history. This month in the Commercial Register quietly rises DAGA 19, a company with subject of activity “design and construction of buildings, construction and installation and repair works, real estate transactions, internal and foreign trade activity and any other economic activity not prohibited by law“. Partners are Yaneva herself, her husband plus her mother. A normal family business that is probably about to run wild in the construction
business
. What does not seem very normal is the size of the entered capital – one million and fifty thousand levs. At least at first glance. In fact, the capital consists entirely of an in-kind contribution – namely, a property in the area “Kriva Reka” (not far from “Pirogov”) with an area of over a thousand square meters. Not a bad area in a good place, ideal for the construction and subsequent sale of a medium-sized residential building with its adjacent saltanas. And sell it at a good profit, given the trends in the property market in Sofia.

Here is the time to recall that the second partner – the husband Iliya Manolev – is also a non-random person. From a publication of Frog News in March 2019, we find out that Manolev is a fellow of the Tsvetan-of-thought, the famous flat-owner Tsvetan Tsvetanov. Like Tsvetanov, Manolev is a prominent physical culturist, read a graduate of the VIF. However, this does not prevent – on the contrary, it helps – to be assigned to a warm service in the Air Traffic Department. In the legendary ATC, where no random people fall, Manolev scored for a modest 12 grand monthly salary. It is not clear how physical education gave him the necessary qualifications to occupy such, we would say, a heartbreaking-responsible service. We can only hope that Manolev himself did not and did not give “instructions” and did not “direct” arriving and departing flights. God forbid!! A minor but essential detail is that, to date, Frogg’s publication can only be found in
cached
form. Looks like someone got really annoyed. The good pay is obviously the explanation for where the millions needed for the construction of the new residential building will come from. Because from the (former) judge’s salary of Yaneva still can not come. Or…?

However, before proceeding to her grandiose construction plans, Yaneva needs some structural changes – and the assistance of Sofia Municipality. In particular, the chief architect Zdravko Zdravkov. By Order No RA50-704 of 17.09.2020 of Zdravkov, a working development plan (RDP) was approved, which allows reduced distances between the existing buildings and the newly planned (Yaneva) residential building, which are smaller than those provided for in Appendix 2 to Art. 81 of Ordinance No. 7/2003. It also turns out that this RUP is contrary to previous instructions of the same chief architect Zdravkov, issued in Order No RA50-367 of 09.05.2018. In other words, Zdravkov contradicts himself – so that Yaneva can build. So far, so good, but soon it is an unforeseen obstacle – the decision of the chief architect is appealed by the mayor of Krasno Selo, who is nominated by the formation “Democratic Bulgaria”. It turns out that the municipality of Krasno Selo is the owner of properties that will be adversely affected by the new Regional Police Department. So, in January 2021, the case goes to court. And this is where the real part of the saga begins.

The Random Case Allocation Module (CSSRD) allocates the case to the 41st Chamber of the Sofia City Court, Judge Luisa Hristova. Judge Hristova enjoys the reputation of an honest, thorough and objective magistrate who decides cases by law and conscience. A single negative publication cannot be found about it, even in the yellow-brown media. On the contrary, we find only positive feedback about it – both from the
SJC
and
elsewhere
, especially in cases under the Access to Public Information Act. Only after 3 months, in April 2021, Judge Hristova issued a decision canceling the act of Chief Architect Zdravkov. In general, its motives are that an already adopted Detailed Development Plan (DDP) cannot be modified and repealed by a subsequent Regional Development Plan. In this case, the PUP has been in force since 2013, and Zdravkov is trying to change it with RPP in 2020. No passaran, in short, the law is very clear. Moreover, the density and intensity of construction in the affected area provided for in the RUP is 40%, while the maximum permitted level according to the DDP is 28.17%. Quite a significant difference, though! An interesting detail is that the court register of the ACSC does not show the participation in the case of Daga 19 as an interested party. That is, if a person goes to search the register for the company by name, he will not find anything. Nevertheless, we found that the company had sent a representative and participated in the case fully and fully. Which, accordingly, gives it the right to file a cassation appeal against the decision of the Sofia City Court – together with the cassation complaint of the glevnik architect Zdravkov.

Rainbows in the Court of Miracles

This is how the work comes to YOU, where miracles already begin. Or black magic, if we can say so. It is no coincidence that among the legal circles one of the nicknames of the Supreme Administrative Court is precisely the “court of miracles”. Now, dear readers, you will understand why. Looking again at the CSSRD, we see that on July 6, 2021, the system
appointed
as rapporteur Judge Stefka Kemalova. A reference on the website of the Supreme Administrative Court
shows
that she administers justice in a three-member panel together with judges Chervenkova and Todorova. The trial is scheduled for October 19, 2021, which is relatively fast. And on the day of the meeting, Kemalova, Chervenkova and… Joro. Yes, the surprise is there, there is no mistake. In an unknown way and way, Georgi Kolev appoints himself as chairman of the court panel that will hear the cassation complaint of Vladimira Yaneva’s company. Only 20 days later , the decision was issued, which was final and unappealable. We must note that this is a record speed for the Supreme Administrative Court, where it usually takes 4 (or more) months to “write” a solution. As you can see, Yaneva was in a hurry. And yes, in the end you guessed it – the decision of Joro and the other two is in her favor. Moreover, with quite skillful and short motives – a total of 24 rows or exactly half a page. In stark contrast to the decision of the ACSC. Looking at that, when a decision is so sparingly grounded – and lightning fast – it is very difficult to refute the reasonable assumption that it is a custom legal service (and not justice) for non-accidental people. People like Yaneva.

It is appropriate to add a few lines for the rapporteur on the case, Stefka Kemalova. Before being appointed as a holder in the Supreme Administrative Court, Judge Kemalova was seconded (personally by Georgi Kolev) from Pazardzhik. Confirmation of this fact
proudly sits
to this day on the website of the Supreme Administrative Court. We will not now go into the recesses of the subject of secondments, insofar as it has been irrigatively studied over the years by numerous colleagues, such as here

and here

. We leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions. But that’s far from all. On May 12, 2021, just two months before Judge Kemalova was elected as a rapporteur on the case, the Pazardzhik Bar Association entered the Pazardzhik Bar Association – guess who… Vladimira Yaneva Yaneva-Manoleva. Here,
see
for yourself. From this it can be made a reasonable assumption that Yaneva knows not only Joro, but very likely Kemalova herself. Hardly the Pazardzhik Bar Association was chosen by Yaneva by chance, and magistrates with whom we spoke commented that Judge Kemalova has preserved her warm Pazardzhik relations to this day. Which is normal and expected, after all.

The bar in question is really not accidental, as it has recently become famous with something very unpleasant (to put it mildly). In fact,
there is an
adv. Desislava Kotseva – a key actor in the scandal “The Eight Dwarfs”, which in February 2020 Threatens Yavor Zlatanov that “his baby will grow up without a father; that its superiors are more comfortable with the option of him dying – and that the next seven years, while Ivan Geshev is Prosecutor General, they should do exactly what they are told“. From a
publication
of Capital from October 2021, we understand that this same panel refuses even to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Atty. Kotseva on the grounds that “in this case there is no evidence of a violation of the Bar Act.” No comment, simple. At the same time, there is no evidence that this decision has been revoked by the Supreme Disciplinary Court at the Supreme Bar Council. In fact, there is evidence – it has not been canceled. The problem, as they say, reaches the top – and is obviously multi-layered and complex. The other “motive” pointed out by AK Pazardzhik is, you see, that the prosecution never investigated Atty. Kotzeva, therefore, there is no legal reason for disciplinary proceedings against her. Which is quite shameless “logic”, given that obviously there is no way for the Casketura to “investigate” the team of his favorite character Petyo the Euro (not to mention himself). If someone wants to check for themselves what
prosecutors
Julian Lefterov, Vihra Pophristova and Ivan Petrov are actually “investigating” in the case, they will not be able at all – because the file is presciently
hidden
from the prosecution’s website. Comfortable, isn’t it?

But let’s go back to Yaneva and her work in YOU. The rapporteur Kemalova is also interesting with something else – it was she who formed the majority (of three in the five-member panel), which last year
finally punished
the investigator-rebel Boyko Atanasov. Because, you see, Bill damaged the prestige of Ivan Geshev with their media appearances. Immediately the question arises in our country “Please? Geshev and prestige?! Since when?!?” But obviously for YOU this prestige is indisputable and must be defended over-strength and pre-law. The rapporteur on the case, Judge Glavinova, as well as Judge Kovacheva (currently Deputy Minister of Justice) Write Detailed and erudite dissenting opinion, but in the second – three of the five vote “for” the punishment. Especially when we note that in this unholy trinity again enters Joro. Yes, that’s right – the same Georgi Dimitrov Kolev. Whose name is called, where you sow it, where it sprouts. Obviously, wherever it is needed.

In the case of Yaneva, there is actually no evidence that the legal advisers of the municipality of Krasno Selo have requested the recusal of Georgi Kolev, in view of his well-known links with “Vladi” and his potentially special treatment of her company. And they could have done it. But, as they say, the ship has already left.

JORO: But I didn’t know – even if I knew, no matter what!

From BIRD we asked the press center of the Supreme Administrative Court why Kolev himself has not recused himself. The answer we received from Kolev was curious (to put it mildly). First of all, he claims that the cassation complaint was not filed by Vladimira Yaneva herself, but by another partner in the company (i.e. by her mother). Therefore, he did not know that Yaneva had anything in common. However, this statement is easily opposed by the fact that her mother owns only 25% of the company’s capital – and the remaining 75% are owned by Yaneva and her husband. A fact that somehow “conveniently” escaped Kolev. It gets even more interesting. Kolev claims that even if Yaneva was an obvious party to the case, he would still not be taken away! And this was so, you see, because the Yaneva Gate recordings were “of unclear origin and authenticity.” We’re sorry, but that’s pure audacity. The authenticity of the recordings was firmly confirmed by an expertise ordered and paid for by Bivol. The expertise was also brought to the attention of the SJC, in which Kolev was then a member by right. To refresh the memory of Judge Kolev, we apply it
again here
, moreover in translation into Bulgarian (as far as there is no evidence that Kolev speaks English or other foreign languages). The fact that Kolev did not like the fact that the expertise confirms the authenticity of the recording is his problem. That he has now conveniently “forgotten” about this expertise is also his problem. As well as the fact that he never understood which particular service or structure was eavesdropping on his conversations with Yaneva. Well, if you had asked your good friend Sotir – we are sure that he would have willingly told him.

Ultimately, this investigation of ours once again demonstrates how the virtuosos and leaders of the Bulgarian administrative justice – understand Joro and those like him – serve (and not administer justice) as a last resort of the “truth” in the Supreme Administrative Court. The laws in Bulgaria apply, but not for everyone. Or they apply differently, according to the person. Before the law we are all equal, but some are more equal. People like Yaneva. Like Geshev (and His image). Like the Euro, his wife and subordinate lawyers, notaries and other servants and contractors of wet orders. That is why we firmly believe and once again call for the following: we do not know when (and if) the Stalinist, Vichy pro-CORRUPTION will be reformed in our country. But we know that it is mandatory for one (or more) brooms to pass through YOU. Otherwise, we will continue to be in the queue of any indices, at the bottom of any rankings on the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Who knows, maybe we like being there. For 20 years now, it’s like we’re subscribed to the last places. Recently, we have been surpassed by some indicators by Gabon, Burundi and Honduras. Also from Vanuatu. You didn’t even know where that country was, did you? Exactly. And in the meantime, Joro, sorry Judge Kolev, will continue to “administer” justice… October 2031.

***

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