site.btaJustice Minister Convokes Plenum of Supreme Judicial Council, Puts on Agenda Controversial Judicial Power Act Revisions

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev is convoking a meeting of the Plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council on October 16 and will propose an agenda including controversial revisions to the Judicial Power Act. The announcement about the upcoming meeting was made by Georgiev himself on the sidelines of a roundtable on waste management in Sofia.

A controversy has emerged regarding the legitimacy of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov's continued tenure beyond the six-month limit stipulated by recent amendments to the Judicial System Act. The law mandates that interim appointments to key judicial positions (acting Prosecutor General, acting Presidents of Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative Court) cannot exceed six months. Sarafov was appointed on June 16, 2023, and the six-month period expired on July 21, 2025, but he and the Prosecutors Chamber insist that the restriction does not apply to him as his appointment predated the legal revisions. The Supreme Court of Cassation, however, determined on October 2, 2025, that Sarafov no longer holds the authority to perform the functions of Prosecutor General, due to the expiration of the six-month period. This legal dispute has sparked political debates, with critics accusing Sarafov and the Prosecutors Chamber of disregarding the law and maintaining an unconstitutional status quo. 

Justice Minister Georgiev said: "I will give the [judiciary] administrators an opportunity to take a stance on the matter, the two chambers [of prosecutors and of judges] together. The Justice Minister cannot take sides in disputes in the independent judiciary. What I can do is assist in finding solutions by the competent persons."