Veronica Dragalin resigns: "I have reached a difficult and painful conclusion"
Veronica Dragalin is resigning from the position of head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office (PA). This was announced by Dragalin on the morning of February 19 on her Facebook page. In her address, she criticized the draft law on the creation of specialized prosecutor's offices and warned that it represents "an attack on the justice system."
"Today I submitted my resignation to the General Prosecutor, with the hope that this initiative will not go forward. The fight for integrity, accountability, and transparency must continue. I have confidence in the courage of those who remain committed to this clause. Our work does not end here," Dragalin said.
We remind you that the decision comes after a bill was registered in Parliament last week on the merger of specialized prosecutors' offices—the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases—into a new structure, an initiative that sparked intense debates both in the public space and among law enforcement institutions.
Yesterday, the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office criticized the authorities' initiative to liquidate the specialized prosecutor's offices and create a new institution to fight political corruption. In a letter sent to European authorities and institutions, the head of the Anticorruption Office warned that the project will do nothing but contribute to the increase in crime, including big corruption. Meanwhile, the first public discussions on the legislative initiative regarding the new structure took place on Tuesday. Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, said on the show IN CONTEXT that the institution she represents is concerned about this and that she is going to come up with several proposals for improvement.
We recall that previously Veronica Dragalin announced on a TV show that, if the merger of the PA and the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes (PCCOCS) were to occur, her career as a prosecutor would end. Dragalin said that, as a result, she could enter politics. "I am 39 years old, I have a whole life ahead of me, I love my country. So, anything is possible," she declared in early February.
Veronica Dragalin was appointed head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office in the summer of 2022. Originally from the Republic of Moldova, she grew up, studied and trained as a prosecutor in the USA. Although Dragalin was promoted to the position of head of the PA by PAS, she has recently been criticized by some exponents of the political party, including representatives of the country's leadership.
