Bulgarian Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov has backed the establishment of a new entity tasked with investigating high-level corruption.

In a Friday interview for the Bulgarian National Television, Ivanov made clear that the proposal was part of his judicial reform plan.

He explained that the new entity would be modeled on a Romanian counterpart, adding that it would be an independent structure with special responsibilities.

Ivanov, as cited by dnevnik.bg, was adamant that the new entity would need good governance too.

He suggested that Bulgaria’s judiciary needed overall reorganization.

To illustrate his point, he noted that the Sofia City Court, the country’s biggest court, had recently uncovered a long-standing management deficiency.

Ivanov urged caution as regards the distribution of allegations and rumors concerning the appointment of senior magistrates, adding that certain statements created the impression that the outcome of these elections had been predetermined, as had been the case with the forthcoming election of a Chair of the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS).

Bulgaria has repeatedly been asked to take example from Romania, which has been successful in the fight against corruption and in the issuance of convictions for former senior public officials.

British Ambassador to Bulgaria Jonathan Allen has suggested that the upcoming report of the European Commission under the Co-Operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) may leave Bulgaria the only country to be monitored for its progress in the sphere of judiciary and home affairs, while the mechanism could be lifted for Romania.