Interview with the President of the District Court - Malko Tarnovo Judge Maria Moskova
Judge Moskova, what events are woven in the 100-year history of the District Court - Malko Tarnovo?
The history of the District Court - Malko Tarnovo is inextricably linked with the fate of Strandja region. After the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 there was appointed universal judge Stoyan Dlagmanov from Enidje, Lozengrad. Under the Berlin Congress, which revises the boundaries of Bulgaria Freed, tragically for the local population these lands are returned back to the Ottoman Empire. Incurred to quell tensions the empire was forced to make reforms. One of them is the creation of a Regional state court as a part of its legal system, with two members - one of them must be Bulgarian. This position helded Manol Ayanov from the village Derekyoy and for his longtime dedicated and exemplary service he was awarded a medal by the Sultan for a Civil Merit, which is rarely given to Bulgarian.
In December 1913 the local municipality and the community met formally appointed by the same decree first judge - Nikola Kotarov. Previously, he was a lawyer in the capital. On 02/01/1914, he began to administer justice in the most representative of that moment in the town house - two-storey property rich kind of Gjakovs. In 1934 the Universal Court was renamed and changed the boundaries of the judicial district. In the period 1935 - 1948, it served the population of Malko Tarnovo and Vasiliko districts - today's municipalities of Malko Tarnovo, Primorsko and Tsarevo. With the changes in the structure of the state, it was named People's Court, and from 1971 worked as a District Court. 100 years of its existence, the court has its 40 number of presidents and as many judges have worked as a temporary secondment.
In a small border municipality what does the court mean?
The creation of the Court in Malko Tarnovo is a crown to fight of the Bulgarians from Strandja for Freedom, Law and Justice. The institution is a symbol of the state and the local government and the population have always been treated with respect and regard for the judiciary. So the venerable its birthday is celebrated throughout the municipality of Malko Tarnovo.
Over the years, the court remains supportive of the events that marked the lives of citizens. Its sixth chairman is the revolutionary Stefan Toshev / one of Thessalonica bombers /, who contributes to the launching of secondary education here and the majority of the appointed during the first years judicial officers directly involved in the revolutionary movement. The judges of Malko Tarnovo issued / in the period 1942-1944 / deeds by which the Bulgarian state gave a land to Bulgarian refugees from Eastern Thrace.Volumes of these documents are preserved in the archives of the Court and are among the exhibits of a documentary exhibition that is to opened. Almost all judges who worked over the years in the court were prominent public figures with active citizenship, too.
How does act District Court - Malko Tarnovo?
On the territory of the judicial district has always existed border checkpoint, which determines the specificity of the criminal cases. It should be borne in mind here that the border of the Republic of Bulgaria is the external frontier of the European Union. The majority of criminal cases, which the court considered in the last two years are related to events in the Middle East and so named Refugee wave - with illegal immigrants, traffickers and others.The locals cooperate actively authorities when visiting ther cottage property or the forest and they are meeting encounter groups crossed the border illegally and timely reported at the "Border Police".
In recent years, the Court has consistently shown an increase in the number of cases and increase the performance of speed and timeliness of their consideration. For two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013 we ended resolving100 % within three months actual load cases, respectively 23.17 and 34.58 cases per month.
I would like to express my gratitude to the team I work with. Court Administration is composed of five officers, all of whom perform two functions and are interchangeable in the absence of anyone. I must say that the judge of Registry performs the functions of a notary appointed by the lack of such in the area.
Court boasts a modern and comfortable courthouse. It has two courtrooms, separate office for each magistrate and all workstations are equipped with modern equipment that facilitates the activities of the administration. For the performance of official duties of "judicial security" we have provided two rooms, one of which is intended for detainees and meets the standards of the European Union.
