site.btaSupreme Judicial Council Rejects Justice Minister Ivanov's Allegations in Declaration

Supreme Judicial Council Rejects Justice Minister Ivanov's Allegations in Declaration


Sofia, July 9 (BTA) - The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Thursday adopted a declaration taking exception to allegations made by Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov to the media. The vote in the 25-member Council was 14 in favour.

On Wednesday, Ivanov said in a televised interview that the SJC had become "a vehicle of trading in legal cases". There is "a very powerful mafia - the mafia of perpetual judicial chiefs," Ivanov told Nova Television. "The rules will change when the judiciary is headed by people who take responsibility for the failures. If we replace A by B, B will be worse or equally bad, which is why we must replace the model," Ivanov explained.

He deplored the fact that proposed constitutional amendments, which envisaged reforms in the SJC, were rejected by an ad hoc parliamentary committee on Tuesday.

According to the SJC declaration, Ivanov's allegations are untrue and inconsistent with constructive dialogue. Before the declaration was put to the vote, SJC member Mihail Kozharev demanded Ivanov's resignation.

Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov said that there is no dialogue with the Justice Minister and he is not concerned about what Ivanov said about the SJC or about himself. Tsatsarov added that he is used to Ivanov's antics: he was "very benign and well-mannered" during the SJC meetings and odd outside the Council.

The Prosecutor General said that what concerns him specifically is how many jobs are being cut at the Chief Directorate of Judicial Security and what will happen to 42 judiciary buildings that are left without security.

The SJC unanimously agreed to invite Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to a meeting.