By a Ruling No. 219 (in Bulgarian) of 15 January 2014 the Administrative Court Sofia – City (ACSC) repealed a refusal by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to provide information to Julian Hristov (journalist from OFFNews) on whether the member of parliament (MP) Volen Siderov (the leader of the nationalistic party “Ataka” in parliament) had a gun permit and when was it issued, as well as which medical institution issued the necessary medical certificate. The interest of the journalist was triggered by the appearance of Mr. Siderov with a gun in the National Assembly on June 28, 2013.
The MoI had refused on the grounds that this information is not public since it is not related to ministry’s activities but rather to personal data of the Member of Parliament.
The refusal was challenged before the court with the legal assistance of AIP.
The ACSC held that the information sought was public. A firearm permit is an official document issued by the respective body of the MoI structure in carrying out its powers under the Firearms and Ammunition Act. Furthermore, according to the court, in this case there is an overriding public interest in disclosure of the information since it will increase the transparency and accountability not only of the ministry, but also of the Member of Parliament himself who is an obliged body under Art. 3 of the Access to Public Information Act.