New Prosecutor Class Uses USAID-Supported Curriculum
Bulgaria’s newest entering class of junior prosecutors began its studies at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) on March 19—and is the first class to use new curriculum designed with the support from the USAID Judicial Strengthening Initiative. Based on the new Criminal Procedure Code, the Prosecutor Initial Training Manual includes 41 separate training modules covering 115 topics and is the first systematic training on the new Criminal Code offered by the NIJ. The ceremony welcoming the new class featured addresses by NIJ Director Pencho Penev, Supreme Court of Cassation Chair Ivan Grigorov, and Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev.
The Prosecutor Initial Training Manual is the latest national-level product of the ongoing bilateral relationship between American and Bulgarian rule of law partners. In the U.S., USAID collaborated with the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Advocacy Center; in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor’s Office and the NIJ provided local expertise. Led by the Training Coordinator of the Prosecutor’s Office, Margarita Popova, and NIJ Permanent Trainer Judge Nikolai Enchev, the collaboration resulted in both the Manual and its approval by the NIJ Board. This combination of best practices in donor coordination and local involvement ensures that the curriculum captures the latest developments in criminal law.
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| Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev addresses the new entering class of junior prosecutors at the National Institute of Justice. Supreme Court of Cassation Chair Ivan Grigorov (center) and NIJ Director Pencho Penev also addressed this third class of young magistrates |
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