The topic of the "Eight Dwarfs" affair came to the fore again, after the acting Minister of the Interior presented data on alleged contacts between representatives of the prosecutor's office and the wanted Petyo Petrov - Euroto.
According to former Minister of Justice Anton Stankov, however, the problem is far deeper and is not limited to individual cases.
According to Stankov, even if there are disciplinary procedures against magistrates, a real result can hardly be expected.
“It's like a coin with two sides - we change people, but the system remains the same. And it is precisely this that gives rise to these problems. We have a politicized prosecutor's office that hides behind its constitutional independence," he said.
Stankov supported the actions of Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov to seek disciplinary responsibility, but expressed pessimism about the final effect.
„The efforts are correct, slightly quixotic. With this composition of the Supreme Judicial Council, there will hardly be a positive result“, he commented.
When asked whether he expects sanctions against Emilia Rusinova or Borislav Sarafov, his answer was short: „No. I am not optimistic.“
According to him, the institutional mechanism itself blocks the possibility of change.
„There is a merry-go-round – some bodies check, others decide, but in the end the environment is the same and nothing changes“, Stankov explained.
He emphasized that when occupying high positions in the prosecutor's office, there are also moral requirements for behavior. “A person in such a position must limit himself – in contacts, in behavior, in travel“, he also said.
According to Stankov, the main source of influence on the judicial system comes from the parliament.
“That's where politicization comes from – the parliament elects half of the Supreme Judicial Council. The parties want to push their own people through. It is the lack of agreement between the parties that blocks the election of a new composition of the council“, he pointed out.