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Bulgarian Interior Minister has asserted that the draft bill on seizing criminal assets requires further discussion and slight adjustments in order to become a law. Photo by BGNES
The fact that the draft bill on seizing illegal assets was voted down must not be considered a failure on the part of the Justice Ministry, according to Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetanov.
In a Saturday interview for Darik radio, he said that the document needed fine-tuning, with plans to keep the right to confiscate criminal assets without conviction while shortening the past period over which the value of real estates and the incomes would be checked.
On Friday, the Bulgarian Parliament surprisingly overturned the draft bill aimed at cracking down on illegally obtained assets.
"I do not know whether it would be the right thing to amend this version of the bill as it has been prepared jointly by Bulgarian experts and experts from the Council of Europe," she added.
The minister underlined that the bill has successfully received the seal of approval by the Venice Commission.
"Whoever wants to change the formula will have to sit down and write a brand new law," said Popova.
The draft can be tabled in parliament again after three months at the earliest and only if significant changes are made in its main provisions.
The law provided for Bulgarian authorities to have the right to seize unexplained wealth, worth more than BGN 150,000, without a conviction as of January 1, 2012.
According to Minister Tsvetanov, if the draft bill arouses doubts in Bulgarian society, it requires further discussion.
"GERB has suggested a law which Bulgaria needs, but there has to be a more intense exchange of information about its goals and some provisions need to be ironed-out", Tsvetanov said.
The Interior Minister expressed hope that the shortage of confidence among MPs and Bulgarians in general would be overcome in three months, when the bill can be put to a new vote.
The draft bill envisages that proceedings can be initiated for assets acquired over the past 20 years.
Tsvetanov did not specify an apt reduction in the given timeframe but cited tax legislation which stipulates a 5-year mandatory period for storing documents.
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