Maia Sandu dismisses Alexandr Stoianoglo as Prosecutor General
Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed a decree on September 26 to dismiss Alexandr Stoianoglo as Prosecutor General. The decree was issued based on a decision by the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP) on May 23, 2022.
"In view of the fact that the pronouncement of a decision by the courts on the legality of the dismissal of Alexandr Stoianoglo by the CSP is being delayed, the signing of the decree comes in the context of the recommendations of the European Union to ensure the replacement of the position of Prosecutor General and the obligations of Moldova to fulfil the conditions in the justice system," a statement from the Presidency said.
Stoianoglo was arrested on October 5, 2021, and was suspended from office. He was placed under house arrest until March 2022. He is under investigation for passive corruption, false statements, abuse of office, and exceeding his official duties. On April 23, he was charged with illicit enrichment in a case filed last year, in which he had the status of a suspect. According to investigators, the level of his real income exceeded the value of his income declared to the State Tax Service by nearly 70,000 lei. The purchase of a car worth 340,000 lei was also used as a pretext for opening the case.
On January 26, 2023, Stoianoglo submitted a request to the Prosecutor General's Office to stop the illegal practices of persecuting public figures through the use of criminal prosecutions for illicit enrichment. He said that prosecutors are engaging in discriminatory and abusive practices of persecuting public figures. On the other hand, representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office denied the allegations at the time.
On May 23, the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP) proposed to President Maia Sandu to dismiss suspended Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, after a special commission assessed his work with a rating of "unsatisfactory." Stoianoglo received 2.19 points. According to the Law on the Prosecutor's Office, such an assessment can be a reason for dismissal.
The commission evaluated Alexandr Stoianoglo's work on eight criteria. He received the highest grade for "the quality of planning the activities of the Prosecutor's Office" - 5.81 points, and the lowest score of "4.51" - for "institutional efficiency and contribution to improving/reducing confidence in the Prosecutor's Office."
It is worth mentioning that the procedure for evaluating the performance of then-Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo was initiated by a decision of the Superior Council following a complaint filed by President Maia Sandu.
Alexandr Stoianoglo was appointed Prosecutor General in the fall of 2019 for a seven-year term.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
