site.btaProsecution Service Complain to EU Institutions about Proposal to Close Specialized Courts, Prosecution Offices

May 7 (BTA) - The leadership of the Bulgarian Prosecution
 Service said it wrote to several European institutions last
Friday to alert them about plans to close the specialized court
and prosecution offices. Its alert calls the proposal by
Democratic Bulgaria, one of the newcomers in the Bulgarian
Parliament "unprecedented pressure" on the independent
judiciary.

The alert has been sent to the Presidents of the European
Commission and the European Parliament, the Group of States
against Corruption (GRECO) and the European Commission for
Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission).

Similar letters were sent by the Chamber of Prosecutors last
Tuesday and by the Association of Prosecutors last Wednesday,
and prosecutors held "silent protests" in various parts of the
country.

The first-instance Specialized Criminal Court was set up in 2011
 to try cases of organized crime. The instruments issued by the
Specialized Court are subject to intermediate appellate review
before the Appellate Specialized Court. This structure is
parallelled by two specialized prosecution offices.

Democratic Bulgaria argues that specialized jurisdictions have
been used as "bludgeons" and it is in every Bulgarian's best
interest to close them because there should be one law for all.
Legislative revisions that would allow the closing of the
specialized court and prosecution offices, as well as of the
Counter-Corruption and Unlawfully Acquired Assets Forfeiture
Commission,  were approved on first reading by the Parliamentary
 Legal Affairs Committee in late April. There Is Such a People
and Rise Up! Thugs Out! and BSP for Bulgaria backed the
amendments, whereas GERB-UDF abstained.

In their letter to the European institutions, the prosecutors
say that the contemplated legislative revisions "will bring to a
 halt the combat against crime and the work of the independent
judiciary; harm the rights of many; cross out the progress made
by Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism
whereby the European Commission monitored progress in reforming
the judiciary and fighting organized crime and corruption, and
this country's contribution to EU-wide rule of law.

The leadership of the Prosecution Service argues that the
proposed legislative changes are ill-grounded and are not in the
 interest of Bulgarian people.

It also complains that the proposed revisions are being pushed
through in violation of the legislation, without consulting the
public or the professional community. RY/LN/

//