The General Assembly of investigators to elect a representative to the Supreme Judicial Council began an hour late due to a lack of quorum. During the initial registration, 162 magistrates signed in, compared with the required minimum of 228, while after the one-hour delay the meeting began with 175 participants out of a total of 453 investigators eligible to vote.
The Assembly elected a chair and members of the electoral commission, as well as the compositions of the polling stations. The two candidates for the sole seat allocated to the investigators’ quota presented their platforms and answered questions from their colleagues.
Boyko Atanasov works in the Investigative Department of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, while Petko Petkov is an investigator at the National Investigation Service.
Atanasov proposes a review of the work of the previous SJC and changes to the rules for competitions for magistrates. His platform also includes measures to improve investigative work, increase the efficiency of the prosecution service and resolve problems in the Prosecutors’ College of the Council.
Petkov insists on expanding investigators’ powers, speeding up competition procedures and limiting the long-term secondment of magistrates. He also proposes legislative changes which, according to his platform, would give investigators broader powers when investigating complex cases, cybercrimes and large-scale financial abuses.
Asked why there were only two candidates, the acting director of the National Investigation Service, Marian Marinov, replied: “People have decided whether to run”. He expressed regret that investigators have only one representative in the Prosecutors’ College of the SJC.
The actual vote will take place on 21 November using paper ballots at five polling stations. Voting will be from 08:00 to 18:00. With the election of the investigators’ representative, the selection of the 11 SJC members from the professional quota will be completed.