site.btaParliament Asked to Dismiss Anton Slavchev as Anti-Corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture Commission Chair

The Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Parliamentary Group has tabled in Parliament a draft resolution on the release of Anton Slavchev from his responsibilities as acting Chairperson of the Commission for Anti-Corruption (CAC) and the Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture (CIAF), CC-DB said in a press release on Friday. Slavchev has been temporarily heading both commissions since the split of the Commission for Anti-Corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture without being elected by the rules.

Slavchev's dismissal is sought because "by actions and inactions, he seriously violates the law and persistently derelicts his official duties. He does not ensure transparency and does not implement court judgments. The commission do not operate effectively, the court routinely rejects the forfeiture claims. The governance is non-transparent and the personnel policy is bad," the press release says.

The parliamentary group nominates Antoaneta Georgieva-Tsonkova, who is the next member of both commission in alphabetical order, to be elected acting CAC and CIAF chairperson.

"We have collected 84 MP's signatures on the draft resolution [up from a required minimum of 80, or one-third of the 240 lawmakers]. We expect the motion for the dismissal to be carried by a majority vote. Anton Slavchev is a cadre of [Movement for Rights and Freedoms Floor Leader] Delyan Peevski, as evident from the bulk of his actions and inactions. The vote on his ouster will be a test for MPs to identify themselves. For instance, the way the GERB colleagues will vote will show whether there is indeed a GERB without Delyan Peevski," said Lena Borislavova MP of CC-DB. In her opinion, there is enough time for the legislature to adopt this resolution before the start of the campaign for the October 20 early parliamentary elections.