Ten prosecutors resigned in the context of the ethical and financial evaluation. PA: "The situation poses a major risk for the institution's activity"
Ten prosecutors resigned in connection with the Vetting process. The information was made public by the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office on June 14. The institution states "with concern" that the situation creates a "major risk" for its activity, "considering the direct impact on the ability to manage high-level corruption cases".
According to the PA, four out of 38 prosecutors from the central apparatus of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office chose to retire, 3 prosecutors are from the judicial section. Also, starting on June 13, 2024, another prosecutor from the same section was delegated to act as interim deputy chief prosecutor of the Chisinau Municipal Prosecutor's Office.
"Thus, out of the 10 prosecutors in the judicial section, only 6 prosecutors remain to manage all the files sent to the court by the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office. Currently, we have over 500 pending cases, which represents a huge task for such a small number of prosecutors representing the prosecution", states the PA. Moreover, a prosecutor from one of the prosecution departments responsible for investigating the criminal case generically named "Bank Fraud" decided to resign, leaving a significant void in the team working on this complex case of major importance to society.
Also, from the Nord Office of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, 4 out of 6 prosecutors resigned, but the Nord and Sud offices of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office are to be liquidated according to the legislative changes regarding the competence of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office and, as a result, of the new organizational structure.
Two other prosecutors who chose to end their activity were active in other prosecutor's offices than the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office at the time of submitting their resignation requests.
The institution states that currently there are 38 anti-corruption prosecutors, managing approximately 700 criminal cases, including 200 at the criminal investigation stage and 500 in court. It is an imposing volume of work for such a small number of prosecutors representing the prosecution.
We remind` that the head of the PA, Veronica Dragalin, expressed more than once her opposition to the extraordinary evaluation in the courts. On the other hand, the Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu declared, on the eve, that it is important that the process of verifying the ethical and financial integrity of the prosecutors proceeds quickly, and that toxic people are eliminated from the system.
We remind you that the extraordinary evaluation of prosecutors and judges is the most complex part of the justice reform launched by the current government in Chisinau and one of the conditions for the official start of the accession negotiations to the European Union.
