ACF on the decision of the Anti-Corruption Commission on Slavi Trifonov: Institutions again encourage politicians to break the law

 It is a secret whether Slavi Trifonov has been checked by the Anti-Corruption Commission (CAFIAP), the result of the check, whether he has been fined, and how much. This is clear from the response the commission sent to questions of “Dnevnik” regarding Trifonov’s unfiled property declarations, which he owes for two consecutive years as leader of the party “There is such a nation” and as a deputy in the 45th National Assembly.

CAFIAP refused the information because it “is personal data, and providing it may hinder a future property audit, as well as prevent a future claim by the Commission for the confiscation of illegal property.”

This is the second case in recent months where an official institution has refused to disclose details of public figures who have not submitted information due according to the law.

In July 2022, the Sofia City Administrative Court (SCAC) upheld the State Agency for National Security’s refusal to provide the ACF with the names of politicians, and magistrates it found had failed to declare their real estate and bank accounts abroad.

In both cases, the institutions send a clear message to public figures: even if they break the law by not declaring their properties and accounts, there is no one to sanction them and no one even to announce the violation.

“The lack of an adequate sanction for not filing the due declarations does not allow to achieve the goal of the law: transparency and public awareness of the means of persons who hold senior public positions,” said Daniela Peneva from ACF.

“Adequate sanctions are needed actually to motivate politicians to file declarations. For example, political parties whose chairpersons have not filed a declaration should not be allowed to register for elections or to receive state subsidies.”

See an interview on the topic with Daniela Peneva here