Government Includes Chief Judicial Inspector, not Supreme Judicial Council Representative, in Anti-Corruption Policies Council


Sofia, June 24 (BTA) - The government has decided to include the
Chief Inspector of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in a new
National Council for Anti-Corruption Policies, said the
government press office Wednesday. The initial plan was that the
Council would include an SJC representative.

The Chief Inspector is Teodora Tochkova. She was elected to this
office in April.

The SJC nominee for the new council was Yassen Todorov, the head
of the SJC Ethics Commission.

In its announcement of the decision, the government says that
the change is made in view of the functions that the judicial
inspectorate currently has to check and analyze judicial
practice and the possibility to give it extra powers for
checking the property status and possible conflict of interest
of magistrates.

The decision to include the Chief Inspector in the
Anti-Corruption Policies Council also seeks to ensure maximum
involvement of the inspector in the work of the new body.

The National Council for Anti-Corruption Policies is an
interdepartmental body with advisory, coordinating and control
functions in respect of the preparation and implementation of
policies to prevent and fight corruption. It includes
representatives of all institutions with anti-corruption powers.


Asked by the press to comment the government's change of mind,
Yassen Todorov said, as quoted by dnevnik.bg: " What can I say
when a bylaw is being changed for the sole purpose of changing
the person. Is this what you call government policy?" LN/

/МЙ/