Bulgaria's Cabinet has approved a package of legislative amendments aimed at improving the work of notaries, bringing transparency to ownership transfer deals, harsher penalties for kidnappers and higher accountability of Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members.

The draft amendments were approved at the Cabinet's weekly meeting on November 18 2009 and are in compliance with the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism in the field of justice and home affairs to which Bulgaria was subjected after joining the European Union on January 1 2007.

The amendments equalise disciplinary measures applied against SJC members with those applied to other members of the bench in the country, which means higher disciplinary penalties for SJC representatives.

The amendments to the Notaries Act say that all transactions on real estate deals will happen only through bank payments as of January 1 2010, to improve transparency and prevent real estate fraud and tax evasion.

Crimes such as kidnapping, when performed with extreme cruelty resulting in the victim being severely injured, will be punished by 15 to 30 years in jail, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without parole. These sanctions will also apply when kidnappers ask for ransom or any other action in return for the victim's release.

The Cabinet adopted a strategy for prevention and counteraction of corruption and organised crime. As a major priority, the Cabinet approved the principle of long-term co-operation among institutions, the public, the media and the private sector.

In the next few months, the Cabinet is expected to adopt a mechanism for the implementation of the strategy, aimed at regaining Bulgarians' confidence and trust in the country's judiciary and law enforcement.