Bulgarian MPs Turn Confiscation Bill into Law

Bulgarian PM Borisov arrived in the Parliament late Thursday evening stressing he had his resignation in his pocket and would submit it if the MPs fail to pass the so-called confiscation bill. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, thanked late Thursday evening the Members of the Parliament from his ruling party GERB for turning the controversial bill authorizing confiscation of illegal assets into law.

Borisov told the MPs that thanks to them the government will remain in power since he recently declared he would resign if the bill is not passed by the Parliament.

The MPs approved the bill at second reading at 10:30 pm Thursday evening. It happened after heated debates and clashes with the opposition during five parliamentary sessions and extending the work hours until midnight on three occasions.

In expressing his gratitude, Borisov thanked not only the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, but the marginal conservative Order, Law and Justice party, RZS, the right-wing Blue Coalition, the so-called independent MPs, and even the opposition for making constructive changes in a number of texts.

According to the PM, parliamentary democracy requires debates and different opinions, but the conclusion is to pass what is right for the people and the country's EU and NATO partners. He stressed that he expected a very positive reaction from foreign diplomats.

Borisov told reporters later that this was a "very good law," and if something needs to be adjusted in it, it would be to the future generations to do so. He labeled the Act as "very bad for those who amassed wealth illegally."

The PM explained that claims from the opposition that the law would harm ordinary Bulgarians were a pure and simple insinuation.

"Every Bulgarian citizen who had illegally acquired any asset will have this asset confiscated. This is what common folk want and what we passed. We are in power today, but others will come after us and this law will still be in place," Borisov pointed out.

The law gives the State rights to confiscate illegally acquired assets of an individual who is a legal case defendant without an effective Court sentence. The procedure can be launched only against people charged with a serious crime such as terrorism, participation in an organized gang, kidnapping and abduction, human trafficking, pimping, and tax evasion, among others.

The probe for discrepancies between assets and declared income can be launched only when and after legal charges are pressed against a certain individual. The probe will include 10-year backtracking when there is a minimum discrepancy of BGN 250 000.

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