site.btaCC Party Alerts Brussels to Irregularities in Anti-Corruption Commission Leadership Nomination

The Continue the Change (CC) party has submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission regarding alleged violations in the procedure for appointing the leadership of Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the party press office said on Monday.

CC notes that despite serious concerns over political affiliations and the need to reconsider the composition of the Nomination Committee responsible for selecting ACC members, the committee has already convened and begun the selection process. In response, CC has sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath, raising serious concerns over the political neutrality and independence of ACC’s future leadership.

The party’s statement criticizes the current selection process for being conducted under extremely tight deadlines, leaving inadequate time for nominations and for proper public scrutiny. According to CC, there are substantial procedural and substantive concerns about the composition of the Nomination Committee, which plays a key role in shortlisting ACC candidates.

The letter cites two official opinions submitted to the parliamentary Committee on Prevention and Counteraction of Corruption by members from the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria" (CC–DB) parliamentary group. The first opinion points out that two members of the Nomination Committee, Silvia Kadreva and Venera Milova, do not meet the independence criteria outlined in Article 3 of the Committee’s Rules.

CC claims that Kadreva maintained direct hierarchical and professional relationships with two current candidates for ACC up until two months ago, which raises obvious concerns about her impartiality. As for Milova, the party states that she has held a series of senior administrative roles in institutions run by the GERB party, both locally and nationally—evidence of strong political ties to the same party whose candidates she is now expected to assess objectively.

The party’s position concludes that both members should be immediately replaced under Article 3, paragraph 5 of the Nomination Committee Rules, and that the Committee’s work should be halted until new, independent members are appointed.

The second opinion concerns procedural violations in the appointment of a member of the Nomination Committee by the Supreme Bar Council (SBC). According to the official minutes from SBC’s July 23 meeting, the appointment of Nina Sedefova was made during an extraordinary session, at which several SBC members expressed serious doubts about compliance with existing procedural rules. Due to the tight parliamentary deadline, Article 120 of the Bar Act, which requires extraordinary sessions to be held in person, with at least 14 days' written notice and the physical presence of two-thirds of SBC members. was not adhered to.

CC also highlights media reports alleging close professional ties between Sedefova and politically affiliated individuals, including the fact that her son is the legal representative of an MP from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning (MRF – New Beginning) in a SLAPP-type lawsuit against investigative journalists. The party calls on the parliamentary Committee on Prevention and Counteraction of Corruption to formally seek clarification from SBC and from Sedefova herself before she continues her role in the Nomination Committee.

Taken together, CC argues, these issues indicate that the current process cannot guarantee a politically independent selection of ACC leadership.

At the end of last week, CC–DB MPs Lena Borislavova, Bogdan Bogdanov and Svilen Trifonov submitted a formal opinion to the parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee, requesting a review into whether the governing majority’s rush, reportedly involving MRF – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski, prevented SBC from complying with legal procedures in the selection of Sedefova to the ACC Nomination Committee.