Bulgarian President vetoes anti-corruption law
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has vetoed a bill on combating corruption and confiscating illegally acquired property, Deutsche Welle reports.
On Tuesday, January 2, the presidential press office relayed that the document was thus returned to the National Assembly (parliament) for discussion.
Radev believes that the measures provided by law are insufficient for effectively combating corruption, and that they also deviate from provisions of the country's constitution and international treaties to which Sofia is a party. The president's veto can be overcome by parliament. Experts interviewed by Reuters expect that this will happen.
The law approved by the National Assembly specifically provides for the creation of an anti-corruption unit for investigations into persons holding high public office. It is also planned to improve the work of law enforcement agencies.
Just prior, Bulgaria led the European Union for six months; the Balkan country joined the EU in 2007. According to the international anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI), Bulgaria is one of the most corrupt countries in the EU.