Judicial reform in Moldova: Fewer offices, better justice
The new structure of the Prosecution Office in the Republic of Moldova, set to reduce the number of territorial units from 36 to 14 starting April 1, 2025, represents a continuation of the judicial reform approved last year.
The goal of this reform is to optimize the functioning of legal institutions and increase their efficiency, stated Ilie Chirtoacă, Executive Director of the Legal Resources Centre of Moldova (CRJM). According to him, Moldova is among the countries with the highest number of judicial offices and prosecution units per capita, which has created challenges for the system's functionality.
“This is a natural step, considering that last year, a law reorganizing the judicial system was adopted. The changes include adjustments to the jurisdiction of certain offices and a more comprehensive reform aimed at reducing the number of courts and judicial locations in Moldova. This will allow for more judges to work collaboratively, ensuring the random allocation of cases and balancing workloads,” Ilie Chirtoacă explained.
The situation is similar in prosecution offices, where the limited number of prosecutors hinders specialization and prevents the equitable distribution of workloads. Under these circumstances, the reform is essential to synchronize the operations of courts with those of prosecution offices, according to Ilie Chirtoacă.
The expert also highlighted potential short-term challenges for daily practitioners in the field. “Lawyers, judges, and prosecutors may need to travel longer distances to reach the new offices, and the transfer of case files from closed offices is a complex bureaucratic process,” he noted.
In the long run, however, this reform is expected to generate significant savings for the state budget by reducing administrative and maintenance costs. “Given that Moldova is a small country with limited resources, it is not reasonable to maintain 44 court locations. Any reform comes with difficulties, but the benefits outweigh the inconveniences,” the expert concluded.
On January 24, the Prosecutor General, Ion Munteanu, issued an order establishing the new structure of the Prosecution Office. According to the order, several institutions will be reorganized through mergers, based on the judicial map, as follows:
- The prosecution offices in Fălești, Sîngerei, and Glodeni will merge with the Bălți Municipal Prosecution Office, forming the Bălți Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Briceni and Ocnița will merge with the Edineț District Prosecution Office, forming the Edineț Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Cantemir and Taraclia will merge with the Cahul District Prosecution Office, forming the Cahul Prosecution Office.
- The Călărași District Prosecution Office will merge with the Strășeni District Prosecution Office, forming the Strășeni Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Anenii Noi, Ștefan Vodă, and Tighina will merge with the Căușeni District Prosecution Office, forming the Căușeni Prosecution Office.
- The Basarabeasca District Prosecution Office will merge with the Cimișlia District Prosecution Office, forming the Cimișlia Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Dubăsari and Criuleni will form the Criuleni Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Dondușeni and Rîșcani will merge with the Drochia District Prosecution Office, forming the Drochia Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Ialoveni and Leova will merge with the Hîncești District Prosecution Office, forming the Hîncești Prosecution Office.
- The prosecution offices in Rezina and Telenești will merge with the Orhei District Prosecution Office, while the Șoldănești District Prosecution Office will also merge with Orhei, forming the Orhei Prosecution Office.
- The Florești District Prosecution Office will merge with the Soroca District Prosecution Office, forming the Soroca Prosecution Office.
- The Nisporeni District Prosecution Office will merge with the Ungheni District Prosecution Office, forming the Ungheni Prosecution Office.
- The Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga, and Vulcănești offices will merge with the central office of the UTA Gagauzia Prosecution Office, forming the UTA Gagauzia Prosecution Office.
The structure of the Chișinău Municipal Prosecution Office will remain unchanged.
The Basarabeasca, Șoldănești, Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga, Vulcănești offices, as well as the central office of the UTA Gagauzia Prosecution Office, will cease operations when this order comes into effect.
Additionally, new subdivisions will be established, such as the Anti-Corruption and Money Laundering Section, the Environmental Crimes Section, and the Representation in the Supreme Court of Justice Section.
Prosecutors specialized in corruption, torture, human trafficking, cybercrime, and other offenses will also be designated within the territorial prosecution offices.
“The new structure of the prosecution system is designed to address emerging crime trends, improve institutional management capabilities, enhance investigations across various fields, create a competitive environment, ensure efficient use of public funds, and optimize operational costs for territorial prosecution offices. This reform will also contribute to the functional development of the system, standardize practices and workloads, and improve the quality of justice delivery,” stated the General Prosecution Office’s press release.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
