Petar Radoslavov Iliev has been appointed by the rector of Thracian University in Stara Zagora to the position of “associate professor” in the Department of Industrial Business and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics, on a part-time basis.
This is the same Petar Iliev who two years ago found himself at the center of a public plagiarism scandal.
The controversy erupted shortly after Slavi Trifonov nominated the party’s legal advisor for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in the proposed cabinet of “There Is Such a People” in 2021.
At that time, media reports emerged that the constitutional law professor at Sofia University had plagiarized 92 pages from his monograph “The Competence of the National Assembly” from the book “Parliamentary Control” by his colleague, Associate Professor Natalia Kiselova.
Following an investigation, the university’s Ethics Committee found him guilty of plagiarism and recommended disciplinary measures for the rector; however, Petar Iliev resigned from his teaching position. He stated on Twitter that “when the Temple of Science is occupied by merchants and political brokers, it is time for free people to leave and continue working for the good of the homeland in other ways.”
In the midst of the scandal, he explained to various media that he was a victim of “the backstage that orchestrated his media and academic defamation.”
He rightly questioned why the issue of plagiarism had not been raised at the department council even once in the six years since his monograph was published, but only after his nomination for a ministerial post. He also asked why the Ethics Committee, which does not have the authority to address this issue, was involved.
Iliev modestly describes himself as one of the most beloved and respected professors in the Faculty of Law at Sofia University and as a professional who defends his name and biography.
In January 2022, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office initiated a pre-trial proceeding against an unknown perpetrator based on a signal from the civil association “BOEC” regarding plagiarism against Petar Iliev. It is unclear at what stage this pre-trial proceeding is today, but the scandal in the media has gradually subsided, and there has been silence around the name of the lawyer from the Sofia Bar.
Who is Petar Iliev, besides being a former constitutional law professor at Sofia University?
A check in the APIS system shows that he is a managing partner in the law firm “Iliev and Partners” and the sole owner of the limited liability companies “Leigamasque Accounting” and “Legamax Consulting.” He is also the honorary consul of Barbados in Bulgaria and the chairman of the boards of the Canadian-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and the Bulgarian Economic Chamber.
Two years after leaving Sofia University, Petar Iliev finds himself as the only candidate in an open competition at Thracian University for the position of “associate professor” in the field of “Public Law” on a part-time basis.
The reviews and opinions presented by the members of the scientific jury were positive, recommending that the doctor of constitutional law be selected for the announced academic position.
However, the 10 votes “in favor” that the candidate received from the Faculty Council were not enough for his selection to be legitimate.
The Faculty Council met on May 30 in a reduced composition. Out of the 20 members who participated in the secret ballot, 9 voted “against,” and one ballot was invalid. However, according to the practice of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC), it should be counted as “abstaining,” lawyers commented to “For the Truth.”
An ordinary majority is required for Petar Iliev’s selection, which is formed from the present members of the Faculty Council and not from their listed membership, and to be counted as a selection, more than half must vote, in this case, 11 individuals.
Regardless, the rector of Thracian University issued an order appointing Petar Iliev to the academic position of “associate professor” in the field of “Public Law.”
In an interview with “For the Truth,” Professor Yarkov explained that the procedure for conducting the competition was followed. He carefully reviewed all the documentation but also requested the opinion of the university’s lawyers before signing Iliev’s indefinite contract.
The indicates that “there is no evidence of a vote expressing the will to ‘abstain,’ thus the invalid ballot should not be counted in the tally of valid votes and the assessment of the required majority.” According to the lawyers, however, “a blank or ambiguously filled ballot is considered a vote of ‘abstention.'”
This obvious contradiction does not appear to have occurred by chance. Because (not) counting this ballot renders Petar Iliev’s appointment as associate professor at Thracian University (il)legal, thereby also affecting his appointment to the position of “associate professor.”
When asked what exactly he would teach students in the Faculty of Economics as an expert in constitutional law, the rector responded rather strangely: “We are talking about the fundamentals of law, veterinary and medical legislation, agrarian legislation, and health sector legislation. I am grateful that there is still a candidate for the position, and I believe he deserves to hold it.”
Professor Yarkov further stated that the public scandal involving Petar Iliev and the opinion of the Ethics Committee at Sofia University are not concerns for him because the issue of plagiarism is resolved in court. The university has long needed a qualified lawyer.
The Law on the Development of the Academic Staff of the Republic of Bulgaria stipulates that
the oversight concerning violations of conducted procedures, conflicts of interest in forming the scientific jury compositions, existence of plagiarism in dissertation works and publications submitted for evaluation, as well as the validity of presented scientific facts, is carried out through checks on one’s own initiative or upon a signal from an interested party.
The regulations for the operation of Thracian University provide for the possibility to appeal the rector’s order for Petar Iliev’s appointment; a signal can also be sent to the Minister of Education or to the court. But again, it must come from an interested party.
In this specific case, any person who has obtained a scientific degree in the relevant professional field or a habilitated person according to the additional provisions of the Law on the Development of the Academic Staff may qualify as such.
However, no one has yet dared to jeopardize their career development by appealing the selection and appointment of Petar Iliev. This is because it would mean opening a front against the rector, who does not hide his sympathies for the new associate professor at the university.
Is this a case of heavy academic conformism, or is the diagnosis even more concerning?
