Bulgaria Chief Prosecutor Urges Delay of Anti-Mafia Tribunal

Politics » DOMESTIC | February 24, 2011, Thursday // 12:41
Bulgaria: Bulgaria Chief Prosecutor Urges Delay of Anti-Mafia Tribunal Boris Velchev, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor, has called for delay of the special anti-mafia tribunal. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev has proposed a delay of half year for the start of the special anti-mafia tribunals, which were expected to start operating from August 2011.

On Thursday in front of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), Velchev expressed his concerns that the specialized court and Prosecutor's Office will not meet the expectations for speed and efficiency because of the large number of pending cases.

"There will be about 1100 cases annually and if measures are taken to limit the competency of the tribunals, we will delay these cases, rather than speed them up," Velchev said.

VSS members have adopted the proposal for appointing 11 judges, 9 investigators and 13 prosecutors for the first instance, and 11 judges and 9 prosecutors for the second instance.

According to Velchev, the total number of the members is too small for the number of cases that are expected to be reviewed by the special tribunal.

"These are a lot of cases that have to be taken by 53 people starting from August, without any provided money or clarity about a building or equipment of the cabinets and halls. It is impossible for 1100 cases, as the number for 2010 is, to be reviewed by 10 judges," Velchev said.

However, he added that before increasing the number of members, the Justice Ministry has to first provide a budget and a building, which has to be in Sofia.

"We cannot ensure these tribunal and Prosecutor's Office financially and we will leave the employees unmotivated. They will be few and will work in bad conditions. The special tribunal is boutique in its idea," Velchev said.

According to VSS members, the tribunal would cost about BGN 20-50 M.

When it starts operating, it would review cases connected to corruption and organized crime, such as kidnappings, murders, smuggling and drug dealing.

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Tags: Boris Velchev, anti-mafia tribunal, special tribunal, Supreme Judicial Council, VSS

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