site.btaNomination Committee Interviews Candidates for Anti-Corruption Commission

The Nomination Committee Friday heard Adelina Natina-Zikolova, Maria Daskalova, Petar Koev and Stoyan Petkov, the four candidates for the Anti-Corruption Commission. The commission consists of three members elected by the National Assembly.

After the hearings, the committee will prepare a final report for the parliamentary Committee for Counteracting Corruption, Nomination Committee Chair Silvia Kadreva said. She added that the report was expected within two to three days, after which the committee’s responsibilities would be completed.

Kadreva noted that the report would include the Nomination Committee’s evaluation of the candidates, with an emphasis on their professional qualifications, leadership vision, and answers to the questions posed.

Citizens should be received on specified days and times for particular matters, Daskalova told MPs. She noted that, while she was not a member of the commission, she was familiar with its operations. She argued that the commission's requirement of five years of professional experience for inspectors was inadequate.

Koev said that if elected, he intended to build opportunities for cooperation and exchange of experience with other anti-corruption organizations.

The commission should comply with the Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires the collection of both incriminating and exculpatory evidence, Natina-Zikolova said.

My work as a member of the Anti-Corruption Commission will be to implement a consistent policy in accordance with the law, Petkov said. He added that the commission had so far performed well, operated at full capacity and fulfilled its duties. He also planned long-term initiatives to sustain the training infrastructure and improve staff qualifications.

Daskalova, Koev and Petkov were nominated by MPs Stanislav Balabanov (There Is Such a People (TISP), Denitsa Sacheva (GERB-UDF), Dragomir Stoynev (BSP-United Left), Nikoleta Kuzmanova (TISP), Kostadin Angelov (GERB-UDF), Kiril Dobrev (BSP-United Left), Aleksandar Rashev (TISP), Georgi Krastev (GERB-UDF) and Maya Dimitrova (BSP-United Left). Adelina Natina-Zikolova was nominated by the Foundation Creative Community.