site.btaMPs, Lawyers, NGOs Discuss Constitutional Reforms regarding Judiciary

MPs, lawyers and NGOs took part in a conference entitled Constitutional Reform in the Judiciary - Mission (IM)Possible organized by the Justice For All Initiative here on Monday.

Minister of Justice Atanas Slavov, who spoke at the event, said that the Constitutional Initiative is happening first and foremost so that Bulgaria can confidently say that it is governed by the rule of law, that the rule of law is an established standard, that the judiciary is independent, and the prosecution is accountable.

Andrey Yankulov of the Anti-Corruption Fund said that people who discuss reforming the prosecution service should keep in mind that the service is only one of the elements of the criminal justice system. A successful reform must be accompanied by reforming the other elements as well.

Nadejda Iordanova MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria said that everyone's stance is important when it comes to constitutional reforms. Iordanova added that the public agrees that the powers of the Prosecutor General should be limited in a way that makes the position accountable. 

Ekaterina Zaharieva of GERB-UDF said that the key to reforming the judiciary through constitutional amendments is finding how to limit the role of the Prosecutor General in the Supreme Judicial Council.

The head of the Union of Bulgarian Jurists, Vladislav Slavov, said that the draft bill on amendments to the Constitution was unprofessionally drawn, unconstitutional and should be withdrawn by the sponsors. He questioned the objectives of the bill and noted that constitutional amendments have been on the agenda since the Constitution's adoption in 1991.

Lawyer Ina Lulcheva said that the right for methodological guidance of the Prosecutor General over prosecutors should be preserved. In her words, the main function of the prosecution service is to focus on criminal cases.

Member of the Supreme Judicial Council, Atanaska Disheva, said that the prosecution should not be excluded from appealing against administrative acts. Disheva also said that the possibility of methodological guidance over prosecutors by the Prosecutor General should be preserved.