Draft-Changes to Judicial Council Law to Be Made Public Soon

The draft-changes to the Judicial Council Law will be made public soon and the public debate will start, Justice Minister Igor Filkov said on Wednesday, during a debate on challenges and recommendations about the Council’s independence. According to him, observations from domestic experts and the international community have been taken into consideration.

“The Council must prove itself as an expert body comprising persons with confirmed attorney experience over whom there mustn’t be even the smallest suspicion about unprofessionalism or any political influence,” the Minister stated.

Council President Vesna Dameva stated that the majority of recommendations arising from the EU’s peer-review mission directly concerning her body had been implemented, adding that those falling under the competence of the executive power and legislators remained.

“Regarding disciplinary proceedings, we’ve changed the then-existing rules and practice that enabled protracting even over one year. Now, that period, through changes to by-laws, has been reduced to a maximum of four months,” she noted.