site.btaOutgoing Prosecutor General Tsatsarov Elected to HeadCounter-Corruption Commission

December 11 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Parliament voted, 165-30 with three abstentions, to elect outgoing Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov Chairperson of the Counter-Corruption and Unlawfully Acquired Assets Forfeiture Commission (CCUAAFC). The votes in favour came from the entire GERB Parliamentary Group, BSP for Bulgaria (27), the United Patriots (19), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) (18), all Volya MPs and five independents. Thirty MPs of BSP for Bulgaria voted against, and three MPs of the same group abstained. Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova said that, in her personal capacity, she does not back Tsatsarov's nomination.

The other candidate for the position, nominated by Volya, MP Simeon Naydenov, got 12 votes in favour, 42 against, and 136 abstentions.

Tsatsarov will have to vacate office before the end of his term on January 10, 2020. He will complete the term of Plamen Georgiev, who resigned as CCUAAFC Chair on July 31 in the wake of a scandal over misdeclaring a three-level penthouse with a 186 sq m balcony with a sauna, a shower, a barbecue and a greenhouse occupying the building's rooftop. Tsatsarov will thus serve as head of the Commission until 2024. After his nomination was approved, he told the media that he will tender his resignation as prosecutor general to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Tuesday morning. The SJC is supposed to ask the President to decree his early release. Tsatsarov will be succeeded by Ivan Geshev, who was elected Prosecutor General on November 14.

The Debate

Vezhdi Rashidov MP of GERB: I will vote for Tsatsarov. If you want a functioning Commission, follow suit.

Emil Dimitrov MP of United Patriots: Previous experience, achievements in his capacity as prosecutor general and fine interaction between the prosecution service and the Counter-Corruption Commission are among Tsatsarov's assets.

Kroum Zarkov MP of BSP for Bulgaria: The head of the Counter-Corruption Commission must be designated by the President - otherwise the procedure would be a foregone conclusion. That was one of the reasons why our parliamentary group has decided to deny support to either candidate (the Socialist MPs actually voted otherwise).

BSP for Bulgaria Floor Leader Kornelia Ninova: The CCUAAFC is stillborn, it lacks functions to investigate corruption alerts. "Counter-corruption" is merely a title.

Simeon Simeonov MP of MRF: Mr Tsatsarov is a brilliant legal expert. We believe that he would be the most useful holder of the position of CCUAAFC Chair.

Volya leader Vesselin Mareshki: Parliament should elect the head of the Counter-Corruption Commission by a two-thirds majority.

Independent MP Yavor Notev (Ataka): Considering that the anti-corruption law is inadequate, we must make sure that the head of the institution is one of the best qualified experts who should steer the Commission correctly and apply the instruments properly. Simeon Naydenov is a fine legal expert, but we prioritize administrative experience.

Plamen Hristov MP of Volya: Simeon Naydenov possesses high professional standing and moral integrity, he is free of backstage dependencies, which are important prerequisites for the prevention and fight against corruption. The Volya Party prioritizes combating corruption and cartels. DT/LG

/СН/