The Bulgarian president signed a decree finalizing the unprecedented, in Bulgaria’s democratic history, early dismissal of the prosecutor general of the country. Now, half-way through his 7-year long term of office, Ivan Geshev is no longer at the head of the prosecutor’s office.
“There is nothing to comment. The president complied with his constitutional powers, and with every letter in the text of the Constitution and of the law. From now on, it is the job of the National Assembly and of the Supreme Judicial Council,” said Vice President Iliana Iotova.
“The debate on electing a new prosecutor general is yet to take place,” Georgi Kuzmanov, member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) said. The SJC has one week to initiate a procedure for electing the person who is to hold this office as soon as possible. The law stipulates that nominations can be made by a minimum of three members of the prosecutors’ college of the SJC, as well as by the minister of justice. The prosecutors’ college also has to decide what office Geshev should take within the prosecutor’s office, and who to act as prosecutor general until a new incumbent is elected.
The first reaction by Ivan Geshev himself, after being removed from office, came on Facebook: “Nothing matters more in the world than truth. Justice is the result of truth. Will these “politicians” who distorted the truth and unjustly ousted me for my words “political trash, excuse my language”, will they, by doing this, earn the approval of the people?”
Again on social media, Kiril Petkov, co-chair of We Continue the Change also commented on the reshuffles within the prosecutor’s office and the anti-corruption commission - the Commission for Anti-corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture: “Sotir Tsatsarov is no longer chairman of the anti-mafia commission. Ivan Geshev is no longer prosecutor general. One is suing me personally, the other wants my immunity 2 years after the legal proceedings were shut down. What matters is that the change continues.”
In an interview with 24 Chasa newspaper, Sotir Tsatsarov, now prosecutor at the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassation, where he is head of the department which drafts opinions on bills and constitutional cases, says: “Meanwhile… Kiril Petkov is no longer prime minister. Kiril Petkov entered into coalition with Boyko Borissov. Kiril Petkov is discussing amendments to the Constitution with Delyan Peevski. What matters is that the change Kiril Petkov promised the entire people continues.”
“From here on, it is important to reform the institution prosecutor’s office,” said in parliament Atanas Atanasov, co-chair of the parliamentary group of the ruling coalition We continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria. “There should be a discussion on whether such a figure should exist at all. The issue here, to my mind, should be up to a Grand National Assembly,” Atanasov said. In his words, the prosecutor general should be deprived of his powers connected with staffing, so that the prosecutors’ career growth is not in his hands. “We should take steps to elect a new Supreme Judicial Council that will elect a new prosecutor general, if there will be a prosecutor general at all,” Atanas Atanasov added.
Hristo Ivanov, co-chair of We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria pointed out, in a declaration in parliament, that replacing the prosecutor general would not have been possible without the role played by public opinion and civil society in Bulgaria, which stated it was not going to put up with “power that is arrogant and unaccountable” and that “Bulgaria’s politicians have come to understand that”. Hristo Ivanov pointed to the next step in the judicial reform – amendments to the Constitution. “Geshev’s removal from office is an event that is laudable. There are positive, but also sceptical views, according to which the people who chose him brought him down in exactly the same way, with a procedure that raises doubts. The people who have their doubts have their reasons.”
Editing by Ivo Ivanov
Translated from the Bulgarian and posted by Milena Daynova
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