Can former Interior Minister in Andrey Gyurov's office Emil Dechev be the next Prosecutor General? There are no legal obstacles to his being elected as prosecutor number one. And such agitation is already underway on social networks, news.bg reports.
By profession, Emil Dechev is a long-time judge. However, Bulgarian legislation does not require that a candidate for Prosecutor General must have been a prosecutor. He must have at least 12 years of legal experience. As a judge with extensive experience and a former Deputy Minister of Justice, Emil Dechev meets this requirement. Legal experience can also be acquired as a judge, investigator, lawyer or law professor.
Our legislation also requires high moral qualities of candidates for chief prosecutor.
In fact, the selection procedure depends a lot on the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). That is why its next composition will be key for this selection. By law, the Minister of Justice can nominate a candidate. At least one fifth of the members of the relevant SJC college have the right to nominate. The selection is carried out by secret ballot. The candidate who has received a majority of at least 13 votes from the members of the SJC is considered elected.
Emil Dechev was born on May 5, 1970 in Pleven. He graduated from "Law" at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in 1996. A year later, he started working as an investigator in the Sofia Investigation Service. Later he specialized in "Law" of the European Union at the prestigious University of Nancy, France. He worked for many years as a judge in the Sofia City Court and the Sofia District Court.