Bulgarian Lawyer Mr. Ventislav Petrov Tochkov Acquitted

The UIA has been informed that the lawyer, Ventislav Petrov Tochkov, has been discharged by a final ruling of the Supreme Court on August 25, 2015.

Mr. Tochkov had been sentenced to an administrative fine and the payment of damages for defamation on September 18, 2014. The conviction stemmed from comments made by the lawyer in a defence plea in the course of representing his client.

The case was brought to the UIA’s attention by Mr. Tochkov’s colleagues from Sofia. The UIA sent a letter to the Bulgarian authorities recalling the principles of the immunity of advocacy and counsel's freedom of speech, which are applicable in the context of representing clients  (see below, French only).