# Bulgaria judicial reform, Rusinova case & council renewal > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/bulgaria-judicial-reform-and-council-staffing > Updated: 2026-07-30T21:57:29.000Z. Sources: 10. Developments: 5. Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov ordered a pause on staffing changes in late June 2026, warning that premature appointments would erode parliamentary authority. In early July he pressed the Prosecutor’s College to act within seven days on the temporary suspension of magistrate Emiliya Rusinova while a disciplinary case proceeded. On 17 July 2026 the Supreme Administrative Court rejected a complaint by prosecutor Boyko Atanasov and upheld the College’s decision appointing Rusinova as head of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, noting that no enforceable disciplinary sanctions existed at the time of her February 2026 selection. A separate disciplinary proceeding was opened, but the court ruled it did not affect the validity of the appointment. Rusinova has not taken up the post pending the inquiry. European Parliament member Elena Yoncheva filed a request to Europol and Interpol alleging the Ministry of Interior’s misuse of Passenger Name Record data from June 2018 to June 2026 without judicial authorisation, raising EU privacy concerns. On 22 July 2026 Naydenov said he will likely appeal the College’s refusal to suspend Rusinova, awaiting the detailed reasons for the decision. He criticised the judiciary’s status quo and linked the dispute to the “Hemusgate” investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds in the Hemus highway project, suggesting a possible connection to the ongoing case overseen by the Sofia prosecutor’s office. On 30 July 2026 Naydenov told Nova News that a new composition of the Supreme Judicial Council should be in place by autumn. The council is expected to begin procedures to elect a new chief prosecutor and a new chair of the Supreme Administrative Court, with both processes slated to finish early next year. ## Timeline ### 2026-07-30: Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov says Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council to be renewed by fall Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov announced Bulgaria will have a new Supreme Judicial Council by autumn, with elections for chief prosecutor and Supreme Administrative Court chair slated to finish early next yr 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/justice-minister-nikolay-naydenov-says-bulgarias-supreme-judicial-council-to-be-renewed-by-fall ### 2026-07-22: Bulgarian Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov challenges decision on Sofia prosecutor Emilija Rusinova Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov plans to appeal the court’s refusal to suspend Sofia prosecutor Emilija Rusinova, citing concerns over the “Hemusgate” investigation and the judiciary’s status quo. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bulgarias-justice-minister-naydenov-to-appeal-prosecutors-college-refusal-to-suspend-city-prosecutor ### 2026-07-17: Supreme Administrative Court upholds Emilia Rusinova's appointment as Sofia city prosecutor Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court upheld Emilia Rusinova's appointment as Sofia city prosecutor, rejecting a challenge and noting the appointment remains valid pending a separate disciplinary review. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/emiliya-rusinovas-appointment-as-sofia-city-prosecutor-upheld-by-supreme-administrative-court ### 2026-07-09: Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov Presses Prosecutor’s College Over Emiliya Rusinova Removal Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov warned Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s College that the deadline to decide on Emiliya Rusinova’s temporary removal is lapsing, and unveiled draft reforms to ban “eternal heads” and rev 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/justice-minister-nikolay-naydenov-presses-prosecutors-college-over-emiliya-rusinova-removal ### 2026-06-24: Bulgaria Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov urges stalled Supreme Judicial Council to halt staffing changes Bulgarian Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov asked the acting Supreme Judicial Council, whose mandate expired in Oct 2022, to stop staffing changes, citing new parliamentary amendments that bar the council from 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bulgaria-justice-minister-nikolay-naydenov-urges-stalled-supreme-judicial-council-to-halt-staffing-c --- Cite as: Bulgaria judicial reform, Rusinova case & council renewal. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/bulgaria-judicial-reform-and-council-staffing