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Bulgaria Confirms Chief Prosecutor's Appointment Despite Veto, Protests

By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service November 14, 2019

Bulgaria's top judicial body has voted for a second time to appoint Ivan Geshev as the next chief prosecutor, overriding a presidential veto.

Magistrates at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) voted 20-4 on November 14 to elect Geshev as prosecutor-general for a seven-year term.

The constitution requires President Rumen Radev to now sign the appointment decree.

Geshev was the only candidate for the powerful post.

Months of protests against his nomination preceded the SJC's October 24 vote to approve him as the new chief prosecutor.

And Radev a week ago rejected the panel's choice, stressing that the selection process was not competitive and was conducted in a manner that doesn't foster public trust in him.

Opponents, including human rights groups, expressed concerns about Geshev's professionalism, integrity, independence, and links to an oligarch.

Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, remains the bloc's most corrupt member, according to Transparency International.

Geshev has been a prosecutor since 2006.

He has won praise from prosecutors, police, and investigators for successes in cracking down on crime gangs, migrant trafficking, and smuggling.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bulgaria- confirms-chief-prosecutor-s-appointment -despite-veto-protests/30272196.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.