Mariana Shoteva Elected by Supreme Administrative Court As Member of the Anti-Corruption Commission

Judges of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) have elected Judge Mariana Shoteva as a member of the Commission for Counteracting Corruption (CCC), the court’s press office announced on July 6.

The decision was made during a General Assembly of SAC judges held today, as part of a wider procedure launched on 17 June 2026 to select a commission member from from the quota of judges of the Supreme Administrative Court.

A total of 70 judges took part in the assembly. Prior to the vote, the selection committee heard from candidate Mariana Shoteva, who has served as President of the Plovdiv Administrative Court since 2022.

Of the votes cast for her candidacy, 44 were in favour, 13 against, and a further 13 ballots were declared invalid.

With more than 25 years of legal experience in the judiciary, Judge Shoteva has extensive professional background in administrative and criminal law. Between 2014 and 2022 she served as President of the Pazardzhik Administrative Court, before taking up her current position in Plovdiv.

In her concept paper, she emphasises strengthening the institutional capacity of the anti-corruption body, ensuring its independence and professionalism, and the consistent application of the rule of law and legal principles.

“My years of practical experience in adjudication, administrative leadership and the implementation of policies for transparency, accountability and institutional integrity give me confidence that I could contribute to the work of the Commission for Counteracting Corruption not only with professional knowledge and managerial capacity, but also with a clear sense of the public responsibility this institution holds towards citizens,” Shoteva wrote in her motivation letter, according to the SAC.

She added that effective anti-corruption efforts require independence, professionalism, transparency, inter-institutional cooperation and consistent application of the law.

So far, President Iliana Iotova has nominated Pavel Todorov Gaidarov for commission membership, while the Supreme Bar Council has selected Milen Shopov, a lawyer from the Sofia Bar Association.