Justice Minister: I don't see a reason to start a procedure for election of a new Prosecutor General, considering commitment to constitutional reform

Minister of Justice, Atanas Slavov, on June 21, commented on the decision of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Prosecutor's College to propose to the SJC Plenum to start a procedure for electing a new prosecutor general.

"Given the stated ambition and commitment to carrying out constitutional reform, the fact that within a week or two we will have a project submitted to the National Assembly for changes to the Constitution, which will also refer to the Prosecutor General, his functions and place in the judiciary, I do not see a reason to start such a procedure, which should end in October. By then we should have a new structure of the judiciary," Slavov told journalists.

According to the minister, the Supreme Judicial Council does not have sufficient legitimacy to make such important appointments. Atanas Slavov said that tomorrow (Thursday), the Plenum of the SJC will decide whether to discuss the issue of the election of the acting Prosecutor General. He expressed hope that the members of the Council would discuss the merits and rule on the decision taken by the Prosecutors’ College. The Plenum is the legitimate body to elect the acting Prosecutor General, not the College, Slavov said.

"The Plenum, if it considers that it is the legitimate body, should conduct the procedure and make the decision. If we have an incompetent body that has made a decision, it is null and void, it cannot and should not give rise to legal action," the Minister further commented.

He added that if the Plenum of the SJC does not make a decision in this sense, he will appeal the election of Borislav Sarafov to the Supreme Administrative Court.

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In a meeting on June 21, the Prosecutors’ College of Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decided to propose to the SJC Plenum to initiate a procedure for the election of a Prosecutor General.

The proposal will be tabled at the SJC Plenum meeting on Thursday, June 22.

The decision comes after the SJC Plenum voted to dismiss Ivan Geshev as Prosecutor General on June 12. On June 16, President Rumen Radev decreed it. Under the Judicial System Act, the procedure for the election of a new Prosecutor General must be launched within seven days after that day.

Source: BTA