Yaneva Gate – Sex and the Court: If I Go to Boyko We Would not Discuss Wiretaps Mind the horns!

In the last episode of #Yaneva Gate, published by Bivol, Vladimira Yaneva, the former boss of the Sofia City Court (SCC) told her colleague Rumyana Chenalova and an unknown male lawyer that a close friend of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, the one who “took Rubin”, advised her to personally call Borisov and meet with him because Boyko wanted his...

Yaneva’s confession reveals that Alexander Staliyski advised her by saying: “He says he wants to meet with you and to reach an agreement with you, and I cannot negotiate with him, sorry. After you talk to him, I can push him later about something then, but I told you, you need to have you own talks.” The other former judge – Chenalova – chimes in with the question: “Well, why wouldn’t you go and talk to him?” Yaneva responds with pure straightforwardness: “Cuz I do not want to.”

At the time of the publication of the recording, is was a mystery why Yaneva would not want to meet with the Prime Minister in person and talk to him about her problem, but preferred the intervention of various other parties and possibly text messages and Viber communication? What was deterring the then-boss of the biggest court in Bulgaria from such contact?

“The finished” judge had been reluctant to meet with “Boyko” because she had been afraid that she would be stuck in a situation with very intimate and delicate context. Yaneva had been greatly worried because it had been unlikely that possible meetings and talks with the Prime Minister would have been held in a professional manner as it should be between people vested with serious power, discussing a topic concerning a nationally important issue.

Yaneva asks Chenalova: What do you think my conversation with him will be?

That he will ask me if I have legally allowed these Special Surveillance Devices (SSD)?

The legality of the wiretaps, signed by Yaneva, (including such for eavesdropping on embassies) has been commented on in an earlier conversation between the former SCC boss with Prosecutor General Tsatsarov. After learning that Borisov had ordered her “finishing” because of the case “Worms”, Yaneva had rushed to meet Tsatsarov and had presented in detail her arguments as to why she believed that she had not breached the law. Tsatsarov had promised her to “mask” things, but eventually Borisov’s pressure had become too strong and it has all ended with her “finishing” by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). On February 19, 2015, the SJC voted to suspend Yaneva from her post and from the judicial system.

However, a week before the above happened, Yaneva had communicated with Boyko Borisov through text messages and on Viber and he had comforted her that no one would touch her after he blabbered before journalists in Brussels that she deserved 400 years in prison. SJC Member Dimitar Uzunov, who is believed to be a protégé of Borisov, had delivered to her the following message: “The man from Brussels just called and said not to worry, he made that statement only for the media, for the 400 years that is. You should not think too much about it and you should not worry.” From Brussels, Boyko had even sent her a reassuring text message on Viber, which had calmed her down and he even proposed a “walk in the park”. However, Yaneva had not responded to the invitation.

The ambiguous suggestion to go on such walk takes a very real dimension in Yaneva’s interpretation as according to her a talk with Borisov was tantamount to her becoming subject of sexual advances. The magistrate admits that five years ago there had been hints along this line, but she had not liked them.

“I if I wanted to sleep with Boyko, I would have slept with him five years ago. To do it reluctantly five years later, just when I do not want to, makes no sense.”

Such new revelations about the scope and the methods of communication between the Prime Minister and the Head of the biggest court in Bulgaria are unprecedented, especially for a country member of the EU and NATO. These confessions of Yaneva, however, are inevitably bringing back the memory of the sexual scandal that erupted during the first government term of Borisov’s party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB). Two and a half years ago, well-known Bulgarian female tennis player Cecile Karatantcheva confessed that she had been object of Borisov’s sexual advances when she had been barely 14 years old. At that time, her father Radoslav Karatantchev even stated that Boyko Borisov was a sociopath.

Vladimira Yaneva was appointed SCC Head after pressure from her “family friend”, former GERB Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, in June 2011. A year earlier (in May 2010), she was the only representative of the judiciary in the official delegation led by Prime Minister Borisov that visited the Vatican and met with the Pope.

Владимира Янева при папата в официална делегация начело с Бойко Борисов

Vladimira Yaneva visited the Pope with the official delegation led by Boyko Borisov

The conversations between Yaneva and Chenalova lack comments on what Borisov could have asked them about some more complex legal and State issues such as the judicial reform. However, it transpires from the sequel that emotions revolving around the Prime Minister are associated with more serious questions about corruption in the rule of the country. So far, there is no sign that the prosecution and the SJC have the will to conduct an independent and objective investigation.

Vladimira Yaneva:

I if I wanted to sleep with Boyko, I would have slept with him five years ago.

To do it reluctantly five years later, just when I do not want to, makes no sense.

Now, why should I get into a situation where I would wonder how to come out of as I will be stuck and things can get even worse.

It makes no sense to get into such a situation.

What do you think my conversation with him will be?

That he will ask me if I have legally allowed these SSD?