site.btaJustice Minister Ivanov: Bulgaria Needs Supreme Judicial Council Determined to Clear All Questions about Integrity of Runners for Senior Positions

Justice Minister Ivanov: Bulgaria Needs Supreme Judicial Council Determined to Clear All Questions about
Integrity of Runners for Senior Positions

Sofia, May 21 (BTA) - Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov told
reporters Thursday that Bulgaria needs a Supreme Judicial
Council (SJC) that has absolute determination to clear all
questions about the ethics and integrity of candidates running
for senior positions in the system. Ivanov made the comment on
his way to Thursday's meeting of the SJC.

Otherwise, he argued, Bulgaria could not adequately answer the
expectations of the international community and the European
partners and regain trust in the country's judicial power.

Ivanov's comment was prompted by the sharp exchange of words at
Wednesday's SJC meeting when while electing a new president of
the Appellate Court in Veliko Turnovo, Northern Bulgaria, a
member of the SJC, Galina Karagyozova, reported an anonymous
alert against one of the candidates for the post, Yanko Yanev.
This made Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov quit the meeting.

Ivanov said Thursday that the SCJ needs to have mechanisms to be
 aware of such other government bodies' rulings in respect of
magistrates and their work instead of having to rely on alerts,
even anonymous ones.