nam 22 uu 4500 10.17176/20191127-211302-0 DE-Verfassungsblog cr||||| 191127s2019||||xx#|||||o|||| ||| 0|eng|| 10.17176/20191127-211302-0 doi eng 342 23 Thavard, Blaga Author aut Carte Blanche for Political Abuse - Bulgaria’s Aggressive Confiscation Regime and the Opinion of the Advocate General in Case C-234/18 Thavard, Blaga Verfassungsblog 2019-11-27 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier Bulgaria has established one of the most aggressive confiscation regimes in Europe, allowing seizure of assets without a criminal conviction and putting the burden of proof in the procedure on the owner. Bulgarian law, as it stands, has no specific safeguards to prevent misuse, and has been criticized by the European Court of Human Rights in cases like Dimitrovi v Bulgaria. Furthermore, questions have been raised as government opponents and critics seem to be prime targets of these confiscation measures. In a preliminary reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union from Sofia’s City Court on that issue, Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston has recently delivered her opinion which leaves the door wide open for political abuse by Bulgarian authorities. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Criminal Proceedings european law right to a fair trial Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 https://verfassungsblog.de/carte-blanche-for-political-abuse/ raw object