Venice Commission warns Moldova against merging specialized anti-corruption offices
The creation of a new unified prosecution body in Moldova, known as PACCO, is a "recipe for failure" that ignores years of functional expertise, according to justice expert Alexandru Bot.
The proposed reform seeks to merge the Anticorruption Prosecution Office (PA) and the Prosecution Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS). Speaking on the public broadcaster Moldova 1, Bot argued that dismantling these existing structures would be a step backward for the country's legal system.
The Venice Commission and the Council of Europe’s human rights directorate have expressed deep skepticism. They warn that the PACCO bill, which passed its first reading in Parliament on February 20, 2025, is unlikely to meet its anti-corruption goals.
"I stand by the model of two specialized offices—a system that has managed high-profile case files for years," Bot stated. He criticized previous attempts to decouple the PA from the National Anticorruption Center, describing it as a structural deadlock that paralyzed high-level graft probes.
According to Bot, the government should focus on "cleaning up" the current staff through the integrity screening process (vetting) and providing better technical tools, rather than moving boxes on an organizational chart. He noted that the Venice Commission’s harsh critique leaves no room for the bill to proceed in its current form.
Igor Chiriac, a Member of Parliament from the ruling PAS party and co-author of the bill, avoided confirming whether the initiative would be withdrawn. He stated that the Ministry of Justice would hold consultations with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Superior Council of Prosecutors to find the "best solution" based on the international recommendations.
Despite the criticism, Chiriac defended the recent performance of specialized prosecutors, claiming they have become more assertive in dismantling large-scale electoral bribery schemes and illegal party financing due to mounting public pressure.
The reform has already caused significant friction within the justice system. It was cited as a key reason for the resignation of Veronica Dragalin, the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor, who labeled the merger an "attack on the justice system."
The Venice Commission’s final assessment warns that liquidating the PA and PCCOCS could compromise ongoing investigations, potentially endangering years of collected evidence and witness testimonies in active organized crime cases.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
