Daniela Popova, head of the Sofia Appellate Prosecutor's Office, says she will hold regular regional meetings with prosecutors and investigators if she joins the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). She presented her reasons and her plan at the hearing of candidates from the prosecutors' quota.
Her plan has three parts. The first is about links inside the system. Meetings would be held in each appellate region, to give the system steady feedback on professional and organisational problems.
The second part is how the judiciary deals with the legislative and executive branches. Popova says the SJC must protect the independence of magistrates. It must also make sure that talks with the other branches follow the law and respect the separation of powers.
The third part is representing the judiciary in public and winning back trust in the justice system. Popova insists on high standards of professional ethics, open decisions on appointments and no tolerance for unethical conduct. She says the public image of the judiciary, and citizens' trust in it, depend directly on how SJC members behave.
The candidate said her many years in the prosecutor's office give her confidence that she knows prosecutors' work well at every level. Senior posts at different levels, she said, have given her wide experience in every area of the office's work. She added that working as part of a team, and with magistrates from other bodies, investigators and other lawyers, has always been a priority for her.
"Knowing how the different levels of the system work, I could defend the rights and independence of every magistrate and of the institution as a whole," Popova said.