site.btaNational Ombudsman Submits Legislative Amendments Concerning Arbitration Courts

National Ombudsman Submits Legislative Amendments Concerning Arbitration Courts

Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - National Ombudsman Maya Manolova Tuesday submitted legislative amendments concerning the work of the arbitration courts, the office of the National Ombudsman said in a press release.

The amendments are for excluding consumer disputes from the scope of lawsuits heard by arbitration courts, introducing regulations for the work of such courts and their supervision, setting up a public registers of arbitration courts. The amendments will affect the Code of Civil Procedure, the Consumer Protection Act and the International Commercial Arbitration Act.

Following alerts made to the Ombudsman, Manolova studied the issue and found that a number of "schemes on the edge of the law" existed. She said that a common practice is to consider that the person has been notified of an arbitration proceeding, without there being proof of this.

Manolova said also that more than 45 arbitration courts operate in Bulgaria and that one, located in Sofia, instituted 102,000 cases in 2015.

Manolova argued that the decisions rendered by the arbitration courts may not be appealed while at the same time they have the force of civil court decisions. "This is legal extortion on the part of monopoly companies, debt collection businesses and recently, quick loans firms," Manolova said.