1. TYPES OF COURTS IN BULGARIA 2. LAWYERS COLLECTIVES 3. LEGAL MATTERS IN PLOVDIV

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A001000980002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 10, 2009
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 1, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/03/10: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA001000980002-1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
COUNTRY Bulgaria REPORT
25X1
SU JECT 1. Types of Courts in Bulgaria DATE DISTR. 1 May 1953
11,10 2. Lawyerit Collectives
3, Legal Matters in Plovdiv NO. OF PAGES 2
DATE OF INFO. REQUIREMENT NO. RD
PLACE ACQUIRED REFERENCES 25X1
This is UNEVALUATED Information
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
25X1
Types of Courts in Bula.ria
1. Basic changes have taken place in the Bulgarian legal syste2 since the war, the
most important being the abolition of the courts of appeal.- In Bulgaria today
there are five kinds of law courts:
a, The Okpliyski Sud (Okoliya Court), to be found in the small towns; since 1944
their jurisdiction has expanded at the expense of the Okrug Courts, so that
they may now try civil cases up to 200,.000 Leva (instead of 30,000 leva as be-
fore) and criminal cases concerning theft, rape, fiscal, and other offenses,
b, The 0kruzhenno Sud (Okrug Court), to be found in each Okrug''Capital; these
courts try civil cases where more than 200,000 Leva are involved, cases in-
volving political offenses and sabotage, and are entitled to quash minor
charges;
ce The Supreme Court;
d, The Courts of Arbitration, set up in 1949 or 1950, to decide disputes pending
between two State enterprises or institutions; and
e. Military courts, to be found in garrison towns; these have jurisdiction over
military personnel only and only those attorneys who are officers in the re-
serve forces are admitted`to such courts; a few years ago military law was in-
cluded in the law school curriculum.
The Prosecution
2, The prosecuting authority for criminal cases is the office of the attorney-general
in Sofia and its Okrug and Okoliya branches.
Lawyers' Collectives'''
3. Lawyers' Collectives were organized,in 1948 after the promulgation of a law pro-
hibiting private practise. They are to be found in places with ten or more law-
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yers, and in towns which do not have this number of lawyers, the lawyers are
attached to the local courts, with the secretariat of the court distributing
cases and fees.
4, A client is not permitted to have any contact with his lawyer until after the
entire fee for the case has been paid to the collective. Previous to payment,
all dealings concerning the case are handled by the secretary of the collective.
Until August 1952, 40 percent of the fee iri.a case went to the collective, half
being used for general purposes and half for a special fund which is distributed
among all members of the collective. Recently the lawyers' collectives were
reorganized and renamed (Yuridichna Konsultatsia), Present practise is that each
member contributes only 25 percent of his fee, all of which is used for the
maintenance of the collective. Income taxes are paid by the individual lawyers.
5. The lawyers' collectives belong to the lawyers' union which is called Collegium
(sic).
The Plovdiv Courts and Law ers' Collective
6. The Plovdiv Okoliya and Okrug Courts are located in Ulitsa Rayko Daskalov. Both
have civil and criminal departments. The Okoliya Court has about four or five
judges and the Okrug Court has about 12. In each case, the chief judge is a
member of the Communist Party with the remainder of the bench containing some
non-Party men.
7, The Secretary of the Plovdiv Lawyers' Collective is Israel Levy, He is approxi-
mately 45 years old and is a member of the Communist - Party,
Comments: 25X1
1. While November 1952 is given as the date of information, the reader should
note that currency figures are given in terms of the old Lev as it was cal-
culated prior to May 1952.
2 in Bulgaria the courts have jurisdiction not only as 25X1
described by statute but also in cases of appeal from the courts immediately
below them in rank,
3~ while an Okoliya Court formerly was empowered to impose
fines up to 200,000 Leva, after the end of 1951 it received the power to 25X1
impose fines of indefinite amounts,
4, a lawyers' collective may have a minimum of seven and
a maximum of 30 members and describes the division of fees as above. 25X1
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Approved For Release 2009/03/10: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA001000980002-1