site.btaMRF's Peevski Criticizes CC-DB's Proposed Amendments on Election of Top Magistrates

Delyan Peevski, one of the two leaders of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Friday commented on draft amendments to the Judicial System Act concerning the election of the prosecutor general. "A group of failed politicians are trying to block the election of a new prosecutor general in breach of the Constitution," Peevski said. The MRF press office said the proposal was made by Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MPs Kiril Petkov, Nadezhda Yordanova, Nikolay Denkov, Assen Vassilev, Bozhidar Bozhanov and Lena Borislavova.

Peevski said the proposed revisions aimed to ensure that acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov would cover up those politicians' scandals.

"They are ready to violate the Constitution (once again) and to ignore the decisions of the Constitutional Court just to ensure that the acting Prosecutor General keeps his post as he is convenient for them," Peevski said.

"The goal is to have Sarafov as a permanent prosecutor general of Bulgaria," he claimed. In his view, this is how the sponsors of the bill are "fulfilling the will of their political godfather" - a reference to President Rumen Radev.

The MRF leader also vowed to expose all corrupt practices which harm people.

CC-DB proposed that a Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) whose term has expired cannot hold and election procedure and cannot propose to the President candidates for Presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Supreme Administrative Court and for Prosecutor General. The main purpose of the bill is to guarantee greater transparency and public legitimacy in the election of the top three magistrates, CC-DB said in its reasoning.

The term of the present SJC expired nearly two years ago but Parliament has not elected members to fill its quota, meaning that if the CC-DB bill is adopted, Sarafov will stay as the acting Prosecutor General. The same would apply to Supreme Administrative Court President Georgi Cholakov, whose term expires in November.