The team of caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov has submitted revisions to the Judicial System Act, aimed at strengthening the procedures surrounding the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and its Inspectorate. According to a press release issued by the ministry, the proposed legislation will undergo review by the next government to be elected by Parliament. The revisions introduce two key mechanisms for improving transparency.
First, a special commission of professionals, independent of direct political influence, will conduct a professional assessment of candidates. This commission, drawing expertise from bodies such as the Supreme Courts, the President, the National Ombudsman, and the Supreme Bar Council, will generate and publish candidate profiles detailing their integrity, strengths, and weaknesses for public scrutiny. Secondly, the bill proposes a provisional commission dedicated to verifying the asset declarations of all candidates for the SJC and SJC Inspectorate.
This body will incorporate financial experts from institutions like the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Bulgarian National Bank to confirm the truthfulness of declarations and investigate any transactions involving suspicious pricing or unclear funding sources. Furthermore, the proposed changes address the scope of oversight. The Justice Minister would be granted the authority to challenge any instruments adopted by the SJC in court.
This action seeks to fill a gap in the existing judicial review process, which currently restricts appeals primarily to directly affected individuals—a limitation that complicates review, particularly during single-candidate elections. The revisions also mandate the SJC Inspectorate to verify asset declarations for candidates representing the judicial quota.
Topics: #ministry #judicial #election
