Justice reform under strain: the Supreme Court has only eight judges. Veronica Mihailov-Moraru: ‘We need 20'

The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) is currently facing a significant shortage of judges, with only eight of the 20 positions filled. Presidential advisor and former Minister of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru stated in an interview with IPN that it is essential to fill these vacancies in order to advance reforms in the justice sector.

Over 1 million lei embezzled: company administrator and accountant jailed

The administrator of a company in the Ștefan Vodă district and its accountant were sentenced to 11 and 10 years in prison, respectively, for crimes including embezzlement, fraud, document forgery, and the presentation of falsified evidence. The Prosecutor General's Office reports that the total damage caused exceeds 1 million lei.

Șor branch leader in Briceni faces up to seven years for spending 1.8 million lei for a criminal group

President of the Briceni territorial organization of the former "Sor" Political Party, which was declared unconstitutional in June 2023, is set to face legal proceedings for complicity in accepting illegal financing from an organized criminal group. He is accused of receiving 1.8 million lei from illicit sources and using these funds to support actions aimed at gaining power for the convicted Ilan Shor, who has fled to Moscow.

A Chisinau woman was blackmailed into giving up her car; three suspects detained

A 22-year-old woman from the Republic of Moldova was threatened and forced to hand over her car. The threats came from a man she communicated with on social media.

Radu Marian: “We will hold hearings on the TUX case soon”

The parliamentary committee on economy, budget, and finance will conduct hearings regarding the scandal surrounding the TUX trading platform, which is said to have caused financial losses for over 50,000 Moldovans. The committee chairman, Radu Marian, stated that these hearings will occur concurrently with the ongoing law enforcement investigation.

Local leader from the "Șor" group sentenced to three years for organizing paid protests worth eight million lei

He was allegedly involved in accepting and receiving over eight million lei from the criminal group "Sor" to fund illegal activities for the former party, including organizing protests and paying participants. As a result of these actions, the president of the Florești territorial office of the former Political Party "Sor" was sentenced to three years in prison, as decided by the Chișinău Court in Buiucani, on November 13.

Vetting Commission faces candidate shortage for SCJ vacancies

With 103 finalized evaluations out of 183 notifications, including 63 promotions and 40 failed integrity tests, the Judges Vetting Commission is nearing the completion of the process for sitting judges. The evaluation deadlines for other categories have been extended.

Judges Evaluation Commission has new leadership: Andrei Bivol elected president, Marcel van de Wetering – vice president

The Judges Evaluation Commission, commonly referred to as the Vetting Commission, has announced a new leadership team. In a unanimous vote by its nine members, Andrei Bivol, a national member and former vice-president, was elected as the president of the Commission. Additionally, Marcel van de Wetering, an international member, was appointed as the vice-president.

Drugs worth one million lei seized at Balti entrance; two men detained by police

Law enforcement officers found drugs valued at around 1,000,000 lei at the entrance to the municipality of Bălți. The illegal substances were being transported in a vehicle driven by a 34-year-old man from Chișinău, according to the police.

Venice Commission rapporteurs on working visit to Chisinau to evaluate the PACCO project

A delegation from the Venice Commission will be visiting the Republic of Moldova on November 10-11. This visit is part of the process to develop a joint opinion between the Venice Commission and the Directorate General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe regarding the initiative to establish the Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (PACCO).

Moldova proves capacity to bring Vladimir Plahotniuc to justice

The Republic of Moldova has proven, through its recent actions, its capacity to bring to justice individuals involved in high-profile corruption and organized crime, such as Vladimir Plahotniuc.

Chisinau school and kindergarten directors targeted in corruption case

Problematic public procurement practices have been identified in educational institutions in Chisinau. On Thursday, November 6, anti-corruption officers and prosecutors conducted searches at multiple kindergartens and schools as part of a criminal investigation into corruption and abuse of office. Nine individuals are currently under investigation, including the director of the General Directorate of Education, Youth, and Sports (DGETS), two school principals, a kindergarten manager, and several business representatives.