"Technocratic, essentially, oriented towards the problems of citizens – this is how I would characterize the government of the first 100 days of the cabinet. We have started and made a lot of efforts to move the big stones that are on our way to the eurozone, and to protect the money due to Bulgarian citizens from Europe.
This was stated to the Bulgarian National Radio by the Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev.
He summarized his 100 days in the ministry as quite a job done:
"10 bills - 10 regulatory acts in 100 days means that every 10 days we have prepared, presented and announced for public discussion a law or regulation that is long-awaited by Bulgarian citizens, who are largely focused on unblocking 10 billion leva that are owed and due to Bulgarian citizens from Europe under the Recovery Plan, and because of the political crisis over the past three and a half years we are in this situation. It is an absolute crime not to provide ready and available funds for the renovation, not to guarantee the money for the construction of schools, the money for the Sofia metro. The "Zhelyazkov" cabinet provides 150 million leva additionally for the Sofia metro.
"The justice system does not need professional complainers – it needs specific legislative decisions, reform-minded people who will try to change it not only by beating fanfares, but with real work", the minister was categorical. And he stated that by the end of May, the work on the entire package for the second payment is to be completed and it will be unblocked.
"If the measures are adopted too late this year, the projects will not be able to be reported to Europe and the money will have to be paid by the citizens – this is the big problem", he warned.
According to him, the major breakthrough of the relevant ministry so far is the Mediation Law, the Whistleblowers Law. We have an extremely important task to make the Private Bankruptcy Law work, the minister added.
In the program "Nedelya 150" Georgiev admitted that one of the major problems of the Bulgarian judicial system is slow justice.
We need to become part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, he emphasized and explained that in order to join, their commissions are looking at Bulgarian laws under a magnifying glass. Another important thing is for Bulgaria to get off the gray list for money laundering. According to him, changes to the law have been uploaded for public discussion, which would limit the possibilities for money laundering and address modern forms of terrorism, bribery of officials, etc. He explained that all this is important for foreign investments in our country. The outflow of investments directly affects Bulgarian citizens, the Minister of Justice specified.
Slow justice - the second death for the relatives of those who died on the road
"We have been working for more than two and a half years from the accident at "Cherni Vrah" until today. People say – – "I see the murderer of my child, who uploads photos from gyms, from excursions, and in the meantime, for 7 months, the expert report cannot be released that would say exactly how many kilometers per hour he hit my child and how he dragged him along the asphalt". For any normal person, this should be a red light that indicates a problem. This is inhuman anger, pain. Anger passes – the tragedy, which is public today, in the end remains a tragedy of the family and that's it", commented Georgi Georgiev and listed what the ministry has done. According to him, two and a half years ago, a bill was drafted according to which traffic cameras should be used for traffic control.
"In order for it to be effective, punishment must be inevitable. This is done through this bill", the Minister of Justice was categorical about the texts that could not be adopted in the National Assembly for two and a half years and referred the answer to the question to the previous rulers:
"The deputies from GERB have submitted this bill 3 times. It has only now passed its first reading".
Georgiev pointed out that he had created a working group to identify measures. The first result is the one with the law on cameras – I hope it will be supported, he said and noted:
"This is a priority that has been set for us. We have a task, also from the Prime Minister, to sift the wheat from the chaff in the various bills, and this is what we are working on with my team".
According to him, increasing penalties will not automatically solve the problem.
A bill is already up for public discussion, which does not envisage some kind of revolution, but a precise and adequate measure, Minister Georgiev also listed. According to him, the problem is the small number of experts, and for the most part, cases about road accidents are expert and are determined by the expertise.
"In Bulgaria, there are many experts in documents, but in fact few of them work in the field. The 15 or so experts who have good training and reputations are overworked", he explained the reason for the postponement of the cases.
It is now proposed to hear the experts via videoconference, regardless of objections, for example, from the defendant's lawyer. According to Georgiev, this way the few experts will be able to appear in more cases in one day. However, he also insists on raising the requirements for experts. An exam for legal capacity for experts is planned for them. And more:
"The Minister of Justice is provided with the power in specific cases to request the deletion of experts, their exclusion from the list, to know that they can lose their rights when they play with the parties".
The Minister of Justice also listed the positive measures, one of which is that the state will invest in their training.
Work is also being done to shorten the time until the indictment is filed and the preparation of the expert reports, said Georgiev. And he summarized:
"There will be better laws. We are working to ensure that they are adequate to the times, the violations and the outrages that we see".
People, roads, cars - these are the three factors, the Minister of Justice was categorical. According to him, better care must be taken of the roads. However, the entire focus should not be placed only on the infrastructure, he believes, referring to drunk and drugged drivers, as well as those who drive at very high speeds. According to him, there should be joint efforts to show intolerance towards such behavior.
The property mafia
The property mafia is stronger than I thought, but it is not stronger than the state, the Minister of Justice reported.
"There is no way that the political chaos in recent years will not affect the immune system of the state".
According to him, the impudence of these fraudsters increases when they see that there is no adequate state against them.
"This is a whole underworld of groups, organized crime groups, which are also involved in money laundering. /…/ These are people without any scruples, behind whom, however, are not just executors with nicknames, but people who are lawyers or have very serious legal knowledge", Georgiev pointed out and listed the measures taken in this direction, which, according to him, are already having an effect. In his words, these are extremely well-crafted legal schemes.
He announced that new such cases would be announced in the coming days. "From now on, it remains again in the hands of the prosecutor's office and the court to bring the war started by the state to an end, because criminal policy is state policy".
"I am the last person who will wage war with various legal guilds. For the good name of all bailiffs in Bulgaria - private and state, it is important for the guild of private bailiffs to show that it is cleansing itself of bad and illegal practices," Georgi Georgiev pointed out. He spoke about various cases for which he has referred the Chamber of Bailiffs. However, the finding there is for "formal violations".
"The argument they put forward that these were formal violations – these are formal justifications. They were referred by the Minister of Justice with 4 requests for disciplinary measures. Instead of ruling on them, they come out with a general indulgence in parentheses. How does that sound to you? It doesn't sound good to me. If it turns out that the control mechanism is not working, if they don't show that they can clean themselves up, the state will intervene with legislative changes".
No mafia or organized crime group is stronger than the state, the minister was categorical and added:
"The state has returned after the chaos, after the unrest. The state is in its place. There is no umbrella, parasol or anything else that can save them".
Georgiev announced that he was receiving "well-intentioned advice" – "to be careful that things are very serious, concern sooner".
He appealed to the professional guilds: "Look for us".
The minister announced that they were also ready with the changes to the Commercial Arbitration Act. "We are limiting the possibilities for creating fake arbitrations. Currently, it is easier to uncover such an arbitration than to open a neighborhood fruit and vegetable store. We will put an end to this scheme", he assured and added that they will continue with changes to the criminal law.
Clear rules are needed for everyone and those who violate them should bear the consequences, the Minister of Justice summarized.