For Dobrinka Kalcheva, a prosecutor at the Plovdiv Appellate Prosecutor's Office, her bid for a seat on the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is a cause to defend the internal independence of every prosecutor. She said so at the hearing of candidates from the prosecutors' quota.
Kalcheva wants public trust in the prosecution service to return. She called the service an inseparable and permanent part of the judiciary in Bulgaria.
She said she has no backing from representatives of the status quo in the prosecution service, either current or past. Nor is she backed by "grey cardinals", informal circles of influence or SJC members whose terms have expired, she said.
In her policy paper, Kalcheva writes that judicial reform is needed and must continue. She lists the "Eight Dwarfs", "Pepi the Euro" and "Martin Bozhanov – the Notary" cases, among others, as risks. In her view, what is publicly known about them points to possible informal networks of influence. It also points to the use of personal contacts and go-betweens on matters of major public interest. There are also doubts that everyone has equal access to justice.
She therefore calls for a real assessment of the risk of conflicts of interest and dependencies, tougher requirements for choosing heads of offices, and open, reasoned decisions on appointments. She also backs disciplinary action for breaches of professional ethics, protection for magistrates who report pressure or improper influence, and public, well-argued SJC decisions.
The new prosecutor general must say clearly that in the prosecution service, informal ties will not give anyone closeness, access or favours. Kalcheva says one of the new chief's most important tasks is to change the management culture.
"The only legitimate link between the prosecutor, the citizen and the state must be the law," she said.