Interviews with Candidates for SAC Chair Aired Live on BNT
At its first sitting after the summer holidays on 11th of September, Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) holds interviews with the two candidates for the post of Supreme Administrative Court Chair: Georgi Cholakov and Sonya Yankulova.
At its first sitting after the summer holidays on 11th of September, Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) holds interviews with the two candidates for the post of Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) Chair: Georgi Cholakov and Sonya Yankulova. The magistrates will elect the chair for the next 7 year term.
Cholakov was nominated by the General Assembly of the Judges at the Supreme Administrative Court. He is the head of the second chamber of the court and has the support of the court’s current chairman - Georgi Kolev. Sonyia Yankulova was nominated by three members of the Judicial College of the Supreme Judicial Council, who are part of the so-called minority.
In order to get elected as a SAC chair, one of the candidates needs to receive the support of 17 SJC members.
The interviews are broadcast live on BNT2.
Cholakov was nominated by 79 judges. He has had over 25 years of legal and law work experience, 10 of which he worked as a judge. He started work in the judicial system in 1992 as a trainee judge at Sliven District Court. On July 20th 1992, he became a judge at Kotel District Court, and later was its Head. Between 1993 and 1995, he was chair of Sliven district court, then worked as a lawyer. In 2007 he started work as a judge, and later became deputy chairman of the administrative court in Sliven. Then for three years he was a notary. From July 1, 2013, he is Chairman of the Second Division at the Supreme Administrative Court in Sofia.
Sonya Yankulova's candidacy was proposed by three members of the Judicial College of the Supreme Judicial Council. She has over 32 years of legal and law work experience, of which over 21 years as a judge. In the period 1982-1983. Sha was a trainee at Sofia City Court, then worked as a legal advisor and inspector until 1988 when she became a district judge at the Third District Court in Sofia. Later, she was deputy chair of Sofia City Court. In 1998, she started work as a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court, and in the period 2001 - 2008 she was Deputy Minister of Defence, after which she became Deputy Minister of Interior. Since 2009, she has been a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court.
