"The Temple of Themis cannot be built or restored on rotten foundations." With these words, lawyer and human rights activist Mihail Ekimdzhiev commented on the need for deep and immediate changes in the judicial system in the studio for the Bulgarian National Radio.
In his words, reforms should not be postponed with the argument of a "slow and evolutionary approach", as this could lead to a loss of public energy and trust. Ekimdzhiev warned that processes such as the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council could drag on for months or even more than a year, during which time public support for reforms could weaken.
He also pointed out the risk that external factors, such as geopolitical crises, could shift the focus away from judicial reform - as happened in the period 2021-2022 with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
As urgent measures, Ekimdzhiev proposed that parliament suspend the appointments of magistrates and heads from the current SJC, as well as adopt a law with limited effect to create a mechanism for "re-selection" in the system. According to him, this procedure should be carried out by judges with proven integrity from the Supreme Court of Cassation and aim to "purge" of the leadership of the prosecution service and key courts.
In parallel, the longer-term processes for the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council and Inspectorate, as well as legislative changes to the Judiciary Act, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Special Intelligence Means Act, should continue.
Ekimdzhiev expressed concerns that agreements to preserve the status quo in the judicial system are possible, pointing to coincidences in the political messages of leading figures, including Boyko Borisov, Delyan Peevski and Rumen Radev. According to him, the calls not to allow "revanchism" may be a signal of an attempt to preserve existing dependencies.
The lawyer warned that if Radev and the political forces supporting him do not fulfill their requests to fight corruption, they risk quickly losing a significant part of public support.