site.btaPM Denkov Stresses Importance of Not Slowing Down Judicial Reform's Pace

At a joint news conference with European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders here on Thursday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said the two of them had discussed Bulgaria's progress in the last months, the judicial reform, the recent constitutional amendments, the revisions related to the Counter-corruption Commission, and the control over the prosecution general. "The discussion was very constructive, because we are on the same positions. It is extremely important that the pace of the judicial reform does not slow down," Denkov said.

In the coming months, the members will be chosen of the Counter-corruption and Unlawfully Acquired Assets Forfeiture Commission and of the councils of prosecutors and judges. They are expected to have both professional and moral qualities and the corresponding character to transform the system in the direction that everyone expects, the Prime Minister noted.

The judicial system should be independent, Denkov went on to say. The system of the prosecution, together with the investigation  and with the assistance of the Interior Ministry's services, should be able to check every single charge. Where there is evidence of legislative violations, it should be referred to the court so that there would be a verdict, including convictions. "That is the task," Denkov added.  

He said he relies on the support of the European Commission and the Venice Commission regarding the recent constitutional changes. "These are international institutions with the expert knowledge and authority to validate the processes we are carrying out here," Denkov noted.

Taking a journalist's question about the Counter-corruption Commission, the Prime Minister said the process is entirely in the MPs' hands. In his words, in the coming weeks the process will develop in Parliament and should be followed closely, because it will determine the development of the justice system in the coming years. He said he and Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel are discussing these topics as people with common values, namely an independent judiciary. "We have no differences [of opinion] either with the Commissioner for Justice or with Mariya Gabriel," Denkov underscored.