The caretaker Justice Minister of Bulgaria, Andrey Yankulov, announced that his team has drafted revisions to the Judicial System Act aimed at enhancing the procedures surrounding the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the SJC Inspectorate. According to a press release, these proposed changes are slated for review by the next government elected by Parliament. The revised legislation introduces several procedural safeguards.
First, it mandates the formation of a special commission of professionals, independent of political forces, tasked with providing an objective assessment of candidates’ integrity, strengths, and weaknesses. This commission will draw members from institutions outside direct parliamentary control, including the Supreme Courts, the President, the National Ombudsman, and the Supreme Bar Council. The resulting candidate profiles will be submitted to the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee and published for public review.
Furthermore, the bill proposes a new provisional commission to verify the asset declarations of candidates for both the SJC and the SJC Inspectorate. This commission will feature financial experts from bodies such as the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Bulgarian National Bank. Their role is to confirm the truthfulness of declarations and investigate any transactions conducted at suspiciously low prices or involving unclear funds.
Finally, the revisions address judicial oversight by granting the Justice Minister the authority to contest all instruments adopted by the SJC in court. This measure aims to correct a limitation in the current law, which restricts appeals to only directly affected individuals. This expanded judicial review is deemed crucial, particularly when the election process involves only a single candidate.
The Ministry emphasizes that these updates seek to strengthen the integrity of the entire judicial structure.
Topics: #ministry #judicial #election
