The Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, through the caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov’s team, has drafted amendments to the Judicial System Act. These revisions are designed to enhance the procedural framework for the election of members to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the SJC Inspectorate. The proposed legislation is slated for consideration by the next government elected by Parliament.
A key provision introduces a special commission composed of professionals independent of political parties. This body will conduct a professional evaluation of candidates, offering objective assessments of their integrity, strengths, and weaknesses. To ensure impartiality, this commission will draw members from institutions outside direct parliamentary control, including the general assemblies of the Supreme Courts, the President’s office, the National Ombudsman, and the Supreme Bar Council.
These entities will prepare candidate profiles for the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee and publish them for public review. Furthermore, the bill mandates a separate provisional commission dedicated to verifying the asset declarations of SJC and SJC Inspectorate candidates. This commission will involve experts from financial analysis fields, such as the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Chamber of Independent Appraisers of Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian National Bank.
The goal is to confirm the veracity of the declarations and scrutinize any transactions involving suspiciously low pricing or unclear funding sources. Finally, the revisions significantly strengthen the judicial oversight of the SJC. The Justice Minister will gain the authority to challenge any decisions made by the SJC in court.
This addresses a current gap in the judicial review process, particularly noting that current law limits appeal rights to only directly affected individuals, which severely restricts review in scenarios involving single-candidate competition.
Topics: #ministry #judicial #election
