Dimitar Leshtakov, a prosecutor at the Court of Appeal prosecutor's office in Veliko Tarnovo, set out his reasons and priorities at the hearing of candidates for the prosecutors' seat on the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

He bases his bid mainly on his work record and skills. "I have worked at every level of the prosecution service," Leshtakov told BTA. He says this taught him how prosecutors work at first-instance, appeal and cassation level.

SJC members need enough administrative experience to know how the system is run and what rules apply, he says. They also need life and work experience in dealing with people, and an understanding of what both prosecutors and court staff need and can do.

Leshtakov's first priority is to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, work better with the other branches of power and make the SJC more open. He also wants to defend the independence of the prosecution service, hold talks with parliament and the government, and give the council a more active role in discussing law changes that affect the courts.

He proposes internal rules to track bills and sum up the views of magistrates. He says the SJC should change the way it talks to the public, report on its work more widely and build trust by giving people better information about what the judicial bodies do.

Leshtakov began his career in early 1995 as an investigator and head of a district investigation office. He has a law degree. In mid-September 1998 he became district prosecutor and head of the district prosecutor's office in Svishtov. In November 2002 he moved to the regional prosecutor's office in Veliko Tarnovo, and since 5 October 2005 he has been a prosecutor at the Veliko Tarnovo Court of Appeal prosecutor's office.

From March to June 2021 he was acting head and regional prosecutor at the regional prosecutor's office in Pleven. From August 2021 to June 2023 he was seconded to the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office.