Justice

Moldova continues vetting of anti corruption prosecutors amid merger plans

The vetting process for anti corruption prosecutors and the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) will continue, regardless of the plans to merge these two specialized prosecutor's offices.

The Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, stated during the "In Context" program on Moldova 1 that, at present, it is unclear whether this merger will occur before the parliamentary elections, which may be held in the fall. However, she assured that the ministry's proposals would be thoroughly debated in Parliament.

"Each option selected must be considered in the broader context of our existing framework, both nationally and internationally, with the vetting procedure certainly continuing, as it is supported by both the law on extraordinary evaluations and policy documents."

When asked about the future of the current heads of the two specialized prosecutor’s offices within the new structure, amid speculations that the proposed changes might actually be aimed at removing anti corruption chief prosecutor Veronica Dragalin, the Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, stated that the reform should be seen as an "institutional approach, not a decision about individuals."

"At the same time, if the third model is chosen (i.e., the merger of PA and PCCOCS), we must be very careful about how it would be implemented. Personally, I would prefer this to occur in a smooth process, involving the transfer of prosecutors, maintaining their work, and ensuring the management of pending cases continues, so that the existing process is not disrupted, while also considering the vetting process."

It is worth noting that the Ministry announced today it is considering the merger of PA and PCCOCS in order to improve the investigation of corruption and organized crime cases. In the meantime, complex cases could be transferred to the recently established section for combating political corruption and money laundering within the General Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities are also considering bolstering this section with prosecutors from PA and PCCOCS to collaborate and focus on cases of electoral and political corruption.

In a response to Teleradio-Moldova, PA head Veronica Dragalin disputed the need for the merger, arguing that no plausible or convincing reasons had been provided to justify it. The head of PCCOCS, Victor Furtună, did not comment on the initiative, while Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu stated he would provide more details after reviewing the proposal.

Meanwhile, experts’ opinions are divided: while some consider the merger a justified measure, others argue that the true purpose of the reform is to remove Veronica Dragalin from the leadership of PA.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

Ecaterina Arvintii

Ecaterina Arvintii

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