site.btaSupreme Judicial Council Replaces Its Representative

Supreme Judicial Council Replaces Its Representative

Sofia, January 20 (BTA) - Thirteen of the 25 members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) voted to discontinue the term of its representative member, Sonya Naydenova, and replaced her with Dimiter Ouzounov. The motion for Naydenova's replacement was surprisingly submitted to the SCJ by 12 members at the start of the Wednesday meeting.

It outraged some of the members and Kalin Kalpakchiev, Magdalena Lazarova, Julia Kovacheva, Kamen Ivanov and Galina Karagyozova left the meeting. So did Sonya Naydenova and Dimiter Ouzounov, both of whom were in conflict of interest over this item on the SJC agenda.

Dimiter Ouzounov, on the other hand, has been frequently mentioned in an ongoing scandal over possible political interference in the work of the SJC and the judiciary in general and is alleged to be "the Prime Minister's man" in the body of top administrative authority in the judiciary.

When Sonya Naydenova left the meeting, her place as chairperson was taken over by Svetla Petkova. Petkova said that the walk-out was a breach of discipline and that Dimiter Ouzounov would bring more discipline to the work of the SJC.

Kalin Kalpakchiev said that he would not be a part of "this farce" and "this provocation for the common sense of society".

He also said that "totalitarian chill" wafts from the whole situation.

Commenting the fact that Dimiter Ouzounov has been pointed to in press reports as the suspected sender of a text message to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov last week which appeared to be informing the government leader in real time of the operation of the SJC, the head of the SJC ethics commission, Yassen Todorov, said it is a problem for the news media "which have to find something to write about".

In a comment for the press, Sonya Naydenova said she suspects that her unmotivated replacement was a punitive operation and that it has to do with the scandal sparked by the text message from an unknown sender to the Prime Minister.

She said that 10 SJC members asked to have printouts made public of their phone communications for the text-message day and Ouzounov was not among them.

Ouzounov declined comment.

After taking the chairmanship of the SJC meeting, he said he would be fast and constructive in his work.

In a Facebook post later on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov dismissed as ungrounded suggestions that he was interfering with the work of the SJC. “For days on end, absurd allegations have been circulated in the public space. I declare categorically that I am not interfering with other people’s work nor have I anything whatsoever to do with the personnel changes in the SJC,” the Prime Minister says.

He also says that “the latest changes” in the SJC is a provocation aimed to keep up tensions among the state institutions.

He goes on to say that Bulgaria needs actions and reform – not just talk and scandals which further deplete public confidence in the judicial system.

Borissov vows to personally propose a timeframe for further changes in the judicial system which should include, as a minimum: revisions in the Judiciary Act based on recent constitutional amendments, to strengthen judges’ self-government, ensure accountability and decentralization in the prosecution magistracy; the adoption of an anti-corruption (proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva which has once failed to go through in Parliament); revisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure faster and less formal judicial proceedings and limit the possibility for endless return of cases for further investigation; changes in the Criminal Code; and preparation of a counter-terrorism bill.

The Prime Minister hopes that these legislative initiatives will get the green light in the government and be tabled in Parliament with the support of the GERB deputies. “I hope that these changes will receive the support of our partners as well,” Borissov writes.