site.btaIndependent Unit to Provide Experts to Courts

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev told journalists in Parliament on Tuesday about plans to establish an independent unit at the Ministry of Justice, which will have trained expert witnesses who can come to the aid of courts across the country when necessary. 

"One of the main problems for the slow justice system is the lack of a sufficient number of qualified experts. This is the unanimous opinion of both judges and prosecutors," the Minister said. He stressed that an ordinance has already been amended, which improves the conditions for paying experts.

Minister Georgiev also said that licencing exams will be introduced for expert witnesses and in case of systematic failure to comply with obligations, the license can be revoked.

"It is unacceptable to wait more than a year for an expert opinion at one instance," he commented. "On paper, there are many experts, but only 10% of them are engaged," Georgiev added.

Minister Georgiev commented on the topic after participating in a roundtable discussion dedicated to road safety, at which representatives of various institutions and the civil sector outlined measures to address the negative tendencies.