Appeal

The panel of judges that made the decision paving the way for the release of 230 suspects in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) trial consisted of three women.

Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) has postponed the election of a Chair of the Sofia Appellate Court (VAS) for June 26.

The reason for the postponement is a sick note submitted by Veselin Pengezov, the sole candidate for the post, according to the BGNES news agency.

Coalition partner PASOK has called on the Finance Ministry to abide by a court decision to allow some 400 cleaners to return to work.

Some of the cleaners blocked the entrance to PASOK’s headquarters in central Athens to protest that the ministry has yet to re-employ them, despite a first instance court ruling in mid-May ordering the government to take back the workers.

Mayor of Smederevo found guilty in corruption case

BELGRADE -- The Higher Court in the town of Smerevo has found Mayor Jasna Avramović guilty on charges of "extended criminal act of accepting bribes."

The court said that Avramović, a medical doctor by trade, enabled the granting of illegal pensions, and received money in return.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has voiced his conviction that the top court of Turkey will dismiss an appeal from the main opposition party’s candidate to order a rerun of the contested mayoral race in the capital, regardless of the application’s merits.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by the Finance Ministry for a lower court ruling ordering the ministry to rehire hundreds of laid-off cleaning staff to be frozen.

The country’s top court rejected the ministry’s appeal, for a temporary order to freeze a decision by the Athens Court of First Instance, less than 24 hours after it was lodged.

The Finance Ministry said on Thursday that it would appeal a court ruling ordering the temporary rehiring of hundreds of cleaning staff who were suspended eight months ago as part of a civil service overhaul.

A council of appeal court judges has refused a request by Viki Stamati, the wife of former Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, for the rest of her prison sentence to be suspended.

The five-member panel ruled that Stamati should continue to serve her 12-year sentence from last year until her appeal is heard.

The appeal hearings are due to begin soon.

The Military District Prosecutor's Office has brought four charges against Veselin Pengezov, the chair of the Sofia Appellate Court.

All of them are of embezzlement, with three involving him as an accomplice and the fourth as having committed a military administrative abuse, according to StandartNews.

No detention of Pengezov has been ordered.