Balgarianovinite.com Plamen Todorov, Parliament’s sole candidate for membership of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said on Tuesday that the body’s performance should be measured not by the number of investigations and case files it handles, but by the quality of its results. He presented his vision for the work of the new anti-corruption body during a hearing before the parliamentary Committee on Prevention and Counteraction of Corruption, which is conducting the selection procedure for ACC members.
He said the commission should focus on corruption prevention, corruption risk analysis, the quality of investigations, staff recruitment and cooperation with other institutions.
On May 22, Parliament approved at first reading a government-backed draft Act on Tackling Corruption of Public Office Holders, providing for the establishment of a new five-member Anti-Corruption Commission.
Todorov was appointed director of the Public Financial Inspection Agency at Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev’s proposal on June 16. He was nominated for membership of the ACC by the ruling Progressive Bulgaria.
Asked by GERB MP Raya Nazaryan about the commission’s personnel policy, Todorov said modern integrity screening methods should be used in recruiting staff. He added that specific procedures, including vetting, should be discussed by the commission’s members, and that he would advocate drawing on the experience of other institutions.
On corruption prevention, Todorov said the first step should be to identify institutions facing a heightened risk of corruption, where stricter requirements for employees and regular integrity checks should be introduced.
Questioned by Progressive Bulgaria MP Ivan Dimitrov about information leaks from anti-corruption investigations, Todorov said data protection should be among the new commission’s priorities. He identified strict access controls, secure information systems, access traceability, integrity checks, staff training and disciplinary measures for breaches as key safeguards.
Asked by Democratic Bulgaria MP Dimitar Naydenov how he would ensure his independence given his previous work at the State Agency for National Security and the Public Financial Inspection Agency, Todorov said his professional background would not prevent him from acting in accordance with the law and his conscience. He added that the commission’s five-member composition, with members appointed by different institutions, would itself serve as a safeguard for its independence.
Todorov said the commission’s performance should be assessed on the quality of its results rather than the number of investigations, citing final convictions upheld by the courts as an objective indicator of success.
Asked by Progressive Bulgaria MP Nikoleta Todorova which institution the commission would examine first when assessing corruption risks, Todorov said it would be inappropriate to identify a specific institution in advance. Such decisions should be based on data analysis and risk assessment rather than personal impressions, he said. In his view, the quality of investigations depends on well-trained and motivated professionals, making staff training a key factor in improving the commission’s effectiveness.
Answering a question by Vazrazhdane MP Dimo Drenchev, Todorov declined to estimate the future size of the commission’s staff, saying its organizational structure must be established first.
Asked by GERB MP Stefan Arsov about checks of financial interest statements, Todorov said uniform standards should be guaranteed and political selectivity avoided. He noted that such checks are currently carried out by the Bulgarian National Audit Office, but said the new commission should review the rules and procedures to ensure irregularities are identified promptly.
Responding to questions from Continue the Change MP Velislav Velichkov, Todorov said that during his month and a half as head of the Public Financial Inspection Agency, he had taken steps to improve its work.
At the end of the hearing, Todorov said that if problems arose in the commission’s cooperation with the prosecution service, he would raise the issue with the other members and insist that all legal avenues be used to normalize relations among the institutions. Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee Hears Sole Candidate for Membership of New Anti-Corruption Commission 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-14 17:00:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law