The National Assembly finally adopted the law establishing the new anti-corruption commission on second reading.
This is one of the conditions for saving part of the European funds for Bulgaria under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. We are talking about about 370 million euros, which the European Commission withheld due to the unfulfilled requirement to have a politically independent anti-corruption body.
In addition to monitoring and analyzing, the commission will also have the authority to investigate corruption crimes. It is constituted as an independent specialized permanent state body for the prevention and counteraction of corruption among persons holding public positions.
It will consist of five members. One is elected by the parliament, one is appointed by the president, one member is elected by the General Assembly of Judges of the Supreme Court of Cassation, one is elected by the General Assembly of Judges of the Supreme Administrative Court and one member is elected by the Supreme Bar Council. In addition to professional and moral qualities and appropriate legal education, they must have at least 10 years of legal experience and be of an age that allows them to complete their five-year term before the age of 65.
The term of office of the CPC is five years and begins on the date of their assumption of office. The election, respectively the appointment of new members of the commission, shall be made no later than one month before the expiration of the term of office of the current members.
The commission shall be chaired on a rotational basis for one year, with the chairman being determined by lot, as decided by the parliament.
The proposals for a member of the commission from the parliament's quota shall be submitted to the National Assembly no earlier than three months and no later than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the CPC and shall be published on the website of the legislative body.
A member of the commission shall be entitled to one term and may not hold a position in state or municipal bodies; be a member of political parties or coalitions or carry out other activities that affect his or her independence.
The Chairman of the CPC shall receive a basic monthly salary in the amount of 90 percent of the basic monthly salary of the Chairman of the National Assembly. The remaining members receive a basic monthly salary of 80 percent of the salary of the chairman of the commission.
The Parliament has ordered the CPC to submit a report on its activities every six months to the standing committee of the National Assembly responsible for the prevention and counteraction of corruption, which hears the chairman and its members. Every year by March 31, it submits an annual report to the National Assembly on its activities during the previous calendar year. Within the same period, the report is submitted to both the President and the Council of Ministers and is published on the commission's website.
The members of the commission and the investigating inspectors are not liable for damages caused in the exercise of the powers assigned to them under this law, unless the damages occurred as a result of a crime of a general nature, the parliament also decided.