The project aimed to support the National Prosecution Office when identifying the actual problems in the fight against corruption in view of improving the existing procedural rules, and identifying an effective model for increasing the transparency and efficiency in the investigation of cases of corruption. The main project objectives were: 1. to identify the actual problems of the Prosecution office which hinder it from successful counteraction of corruption; 2. to provide analytical (legal and sociological) research on the matter; 3. to initiate an on-going debate in order to make the prosecutors speak about their actual problems; 4. to suggest working mechanisms for effective implementation of the anti-corruption legislation when prosecuting crimes of bribery, trading in influence, bribery in the private sector or bribing of foreign officials; 5. to introduce foreign experience in achieving transparency in the Prosecution Office’s work and to increase the level of efficiency in investigating corruption; 6. to encourage the cooperation between the National Prosecution Office, on the one hand, and civil society and the media on the other.
Policy Area: Judiciary
The holistic approach in fighting corruption in the judicial system
The major goal of the project was to conduct a national survey on corruption in the judicial system. This pilot survey was used as a model for similar surveys on a regional level in the subsequent years. Some of the main activities included: 1. research of the most common corruption practices resulting from legislative and judicial inadequacies; 2. interviews with prosecutors, judges and citizens; 3. publication of the surveys’ results including recommendations for countering corruption within the judicial system and for establishment of internal control mechanisms for restriction of the phenomenon; 4. monitoring of corruption signals related to the judicial system and publication of the results in the press; 5. closing conference ot the main research topic.
Raising transparency through advocacy: challenges in fighting corruption
The basic goal of the project was to assist in raising the respectability of the Bulgarian democratic process and the transparency in the work of public institutions in three spheres: healthcare, the judiciary and public procurement. The implementation of the project took place in three main stages: In the first stage, the bulk of activities was concentrated on conducting a series of analyses and research identifying the basic deficits in the legislation and its application in the three spheres. The second stage focused on creating and maintaining a network of NGOs and media partners for the purpose of information exchange. In short, the results were: conducted surveys and analyses; established cooperation with NGOs and public institutions; two national round tables for information dissemination and exchange.
Improving Bulgarian local government integrity
The project builds on a similar project being implemented in Romania and is designed to address the issue of local government integrity in ten Bulgarian big and mid-size municipalities. The overriding goal of the project was to formulate and implement local integrity policies designed to institutionalize civic participation in drafting and instituting procedural and administrative safeguards against misuse of position and institutional corruption in the local administration; ensure that both society and local government are stakeholders of the policies. The overall aim of the project was to develop transparency and integrity of local government in Bulgaria, as a pre-requisite for the development of a truly democratic society, which is able to face and solve problems that might otherwise endanger justice, communication and transparent management of local administration.
Strengthening the public confidence in the judiciary by means of promoting an ethics code of the judicial administration officials
The project aimed at introducing mechanisms for internal control over the dissemination of corrupt practices and increasing the authority of the Judiciary. A content-analysis of the publications in the local press was made, focus-groups discussions were organized and civil reception-rooms were opened. The Project experts analyzed the national as well as the international legal system and recommended amendments in the Bulgarian legislation in tune with the international standards. As a final outcome a project for a Code of Conduct for the Judicial Administration Officials was developed and tested along with a training methodology for its popularization and practical introduction.