Independent MP Vladmir Kouzov was expelled from Parliament on February 26 2009 after his colleagues voted in favour of terminating his term four months ahead of the next general elections.

The vote followed Kouzov's three-year suspended sentence for having had sexual contact with a minor. The sentence was issued by the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) on February 18 2009.

According to Bulgarian constitution, MPs with issued sentence against them must leave Parliament. With 178 votes in favour, one against and two abstentions, Parliament decided to expel Kouzov.

The SCC ruling is not subject to appeal. Kouzov was initially sentenced to spend three years behind bars for having sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy in Sofia in 2001.

Kouzov asked the SCC to review his sentence, claiming that there had been a number of procedural breaches.

The SCC found that there was no evidence that "the homosexual relations had had a negative effect on the physical and mental condition and on the sexual capability of the victim".

Kouzov's clean record, education and his social activity also were taken into account in the court's ruling. The court said that since the offence was committed, Kouzov had not committed any other crimes and so there was no reason to jail him.

If he commits an offence in the next five years he would be sent to jail to serve his three year sentence.

Kouzov was elected to Parliament in June 2005 on the ticket of the ultra-nationalist Ataka party. Later it turned out that he had an investigation pending against him. In 2006, Kouzov was expelled from Ataka and his immunity as an MP from prosecution was removed.