The Government Thursday approved a Timetable of Urgent Measures and Actions by the Cabinet complementing the Action Plan on the Implementation of the Benchmarks of Progress in the areas of judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organized crime for the February-May 2009 period, European Affairs Minister Gergana Passy told journalists on Thursday. "The timetable will be a public document, but some things in it will be sorted out, which is why it will be released later," Passy explained.

One of the measures in the Timetable is conducting checks of the transactions in corporeal immovables worth over 500,000 leva concluded by natural persons last year. Prosecutors, the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security and the National Revenue Agency will be tracing the origin of the funds paid for the properties and verifying whether all taxes due on them have been paid.

"The Timetable must be implemented systematically because tangible results are needed," Passy said. She pointed out that she hopes that the forthcoming elections in the judicial system and of national and European Parliament will not interfere with the pace of progress.

"The Criminal Procedure Code was amended in December, but certain things in the pre-trial phase remain unaddressed," the Minister said. "Sorting them out requires a debate. The fate of the investigating authorities has to be decided, too," she said.

"There are almost no moot points on the Timetable, but the National Revenue Agency yesterday sent in some proposals. The powers of the Criminal Assets Identification Commission are also debatable. The proposals to revise these powers were rejected in September, and the new proposals can be considered in mid-March, according to the National Assembly Rules of Procedure."

Source: BTA