Bulgaria mulls establishment of unified anti-corruption authority

Bulgaria mulls the establishment of a unified anti-corruption authority that will be responsible for the control of high-ranking officials, the Government Information Service said in a statement on Wednesday.

The authority called "National Bureau for the Prevention of Corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture" will be set up according to a new anti-corruption bill, which will be proposed for public discussion.

The bureau will unite four existing bodies, including the Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest, the Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture, the Centre for Prevention and Countering Corruption and Organized Crime, and the unit in the National Audit Office that receives and verifies asset declarations, the government said.

This would create the necessary link between verification of asset declarations, establishment of conflict of interest, forfeiture of criminal assets, and the preparation of risk assessment analyses, the government said.

Meanwhile, the bureau will receive assistance and information from state authorities, local government and local administration, and will be able to request access to bank accounts of the suspects.

In January, the European Commission in its Co-operation and Verification Mechanism report said Bulgaria consistently ranks among the European Union Member States with the highest perceived level of corruption, and the institutions that have been set up to fight corruption were "fragmented, uncoordinated, and unequal to the challenge." Endit