MAGISTRATES WILL BE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE MEMBERSHIP IN SECRET SOCIETIES

After long debates on 27th of July, the Bulgarian Parliament voted to adopt provisions which require the magistrates to disclose membership in secret societies and organisations, including Masonic societies.

The MPs adopted at second reading a second package of amendments to the Judicial System Act.

The Parliament adopted that the signals for corruption and conflict of interest should not be anonymous and should provide the names of the person submitting the signal, the Personal Identity Number, address and telephone number.

Bulgaria’s Minister of Justice Ekaterina Zaharieva has said that the law meets the requirement of the public for fair judicial system.

Initially, the MPs rejected the proposal that magistrates should disclose their membership in secret organisations and societies, but after that with an overwhelming majority included this requirement in another provision of the law. The main argument was that such memberships made judges, prosecutors and investigators dependent.

The justice minister said that a requirement for disclosure of membership in secret societies might be included in other laws and apply for ministers, deputy ministers and MPs as well.