MPs adopted the proposal for a dedicated prosecutor to investigate any alleged crimes by Prosecutor General

Bulgaria’s Parliament on January 29 at second reading voted on the proposals for rules of inquiry of the Prosecutor General and his/her deputies. MPs voted to approve the proposal for a dedicated prosecutor to investigate any alleged crimes by the Prosecutor General.

Prosecutor General will not have the right to instance control, as well as to methodological instructions regarding the prosecutor who has powers to investigate the chief prosecutor.

Candidates for the post will be nominated by at least six members of the plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council. The law also provides for self-nomination of candidates. The investigating prosecutor will be elected by a minimum of 15 votes from the members of the SJC. There is also a possibility for the refusal to initiate criminal proceedings against the Prosecutor General and his/her deputies to be subject to judicial review before the Specialized Criminal Court.

The opposition socialist party, BSP, did not support the proposals.