Bulgaria’s Parliament shuts down anti-corruption commission
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on January 28 to approve the second and final reading of amendments to the National Audit Office Act that close down the anti-corruption commission.
Tabled by Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF, the amendments were supported by that group, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning headed by Magnitsky Act-sanctioned Delyan Peevski, the Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left, ITN and three non-aligned MPs.
We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, minority pro-Russian party Vuzrazhdane, Mech and the Ahmed Dogan loyalists of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms voted against, while Velichie and one non-aligned MP abstained.
The European Commission had withheld part of a payment under the Recovery and Resilience Plan because of the country failing to meet the criterion of setting up an effective anti-corruption body.
The anti-corruption commission, which critics have described as having been used as a cudgel against political opponents of the ruling majority, received broad powers through amendments in 2023.
The amendments approved on January 28 transfers the functions of the anti-corruption commission to the Interior Ministry’s chief directorate for combating organised crime and to the National Audit Office, while the investigation of high-level corruption goes to the national investigation service.
The commission’s archived operational report files are to be transferred to the State Agency for National Security. This results from a change at committee stage, after the initial version of the bill provided for these files to be destroyed.
