Bulgarian Vice President: Pardons Must Be Granted by Experts

Bulgaria's new Vice President and former Justice Minister, Margarita Popova. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's new Vice President and former Justice Minister, Margarita Popova, proposes for payroll experts to lead the commission for pardon granting at the institution.

Speaking in an interview for Darik radio Saturday, Popova explained that it was irresponsible for the entire activity on pardons to be left to a technical assistant while all other members of the commission to be external experts as it was until now. She believes that this body must have a permanent structure with payroll chair, deputy chair and technical assistant.

The Vice President stressed that there is no need to debate if pardons granted to convicted felons by her predecessor, Angel Marin, must be revoked over recent revelations that this right had not been regulated through a decree during his second term.

It emerged Friday that Angel Marin was "illegal" as Vice President during the second term of Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, who left office six days ago because Parvanov failed to issue a decree authorizing the mandate of the Vice President from 2007 to 2012.

Popova told the Darik radio host that annulling Marin's amnesties would only stir unnecessary tensions and chaos.

The Vice President explained that the lack of decree had not been a technical omission, but rather a premeditated move by both Parvanov and Marin on some attorney's advice. She stressed that there was no way to consider the second term in office as a natural extension of the first one.

The former Justice Minister voiced opinion that the case could be referred to the Constitutional Court, but pointed out that regardless of the rule, it would not affect Marin's decisions since such rule only applies to future cases.

Popova stated that she will continue to grant pardons, but the names of the people receiving them must be announced, and she would initiate legal amendments with this goal.

The VP further informed that she was working on a project for new and updated rules as to how the Presidential Office selects its representatives in important State bodies such as the Council for Electronic Media, SEM.

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