Justice Minister responds to Veronica Dragalin's accusations of "blackmailing judges"
The former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Veronica Dragalin, could have notified the competent authorities about the alleged cases of blackmail and pressure while she was in office, claims Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru. The reaction comes after Dragalin's accusations that former justice officials collected compromising information about magistrates to coerce them to act in a certain way.
"I believe it is essential to consider the facts regarding developments in the justice system, particularly the vetting process. We have some evidence showing that the extraordinary evaluation committees have performed well, resulting in a functional Superior Council of Magistracy, a Superior Council of Prosecutors, and the appointment of the first five judges of the Supreme Court of Justice," said the Minister of Justice.
Veronica Dragalin mentioned that in September 2022, there was a conflict involving the former Minister of Justice, Sergiu Litvinenco, the former director of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Iulian Rusu, and the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Eugeniu Rurac. "I disagreed with how these individuals were administering justice in the country," Dragalin stated during a TV show on N4.
She asserted that the methods employed by the individuals in question did not adhere to the principles of the rule of law: "I was concerned about this from the very beginning. This is not how justice should be conducted, and such methods will not lead to fair and legal decisions. I also acknowledged that there are internal corruption issues, including at the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, as well as among judges."
The former head of the Prosecutor's Office said that she had direct discussions with these individuals: "I told them that I would not participate in what they were doing. If I discovered that they continued using the methods I learned about, I would open criminal cases against them."
Teleradio-Moldova tried to call the individuals mentioned for comments, but no one answered. Meanwhile, in response to the former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office's statements, Iulian Rusu posted on social media that "full moon phases amplify negative emotional and psycho-emotional states."
We recall that recently, a letter, allegedly signed by Veronica Dragalin, was published by anti-corruption expert Cristina Ciubotaru. In the document, Dragalin claims that both Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean asked her for a list of prosecutors who should promote vetting. She refused, citing the risk of political use of the list.
After the letter was published, the Presidency described the accusations as fake and regrettable, reiterating that the purpose of vetting is to eliminate corruption and promote integrity in the justice system.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean also rejects the accusations. According to the Government Spokesperson, Daniel Vodă, Veronica Dragalin's statements constitute a "serious lie".
Veronica Dragalin has publicly criticized, on several occasions, from her position as head of the PA, the vetting of prosecutors. She claimed that the external evaluation could block the activity of the institution she headed, given that several prosecutors had resigned or were planning to resign to avoid verification of their ethical and financial integrity.
The former head of the PA also publicly spoke out against the reform of the two specialized prosecutors’ offices – the PA and the PCCOCS, at the proposal of the Ministry of Justice. Dragalin believes that under her leadership, the PA achieved “historic” results in the fight against corruption, and that merging the prosecutors’ offices fighting organized crime and corruption would be “unfounded”.
On the other hand, President Maia Sandu has repeatedly publicly criticized the activity of the institutions responsible for fighting corruption. Recently, the head of state stated for Radio Moldova that the reform of the judiciary in the Republic of Moldova is approaching its final stage and that, although significant progress has been made, the process must continue to ensure a clean and efficient judicial system. Regarding the reorganization of the two specialized prosecutor's offices, Maia Sandu reiterated the need to consolidate them into a single "strong" institution.
