Justice reform // The Inspectorate of Public Prosecutors will be transferred to the Superior Council of Public Prosecutors
The Inspectorate of Public Prosecutors will gain functional autonomy by being transferred to the Superior Council of Public Prosecutors (SCP). The Government has approved amendments to the Law on Public Prosecution. The draft law also provides for the extension of the list of disciplinary offences of prosecutors and an increase in the statute of limitations for their examination.
"With the proposed amendment, the Inspectorate is granted functional autonomy, which is necessary for the independent examination of complaints on disciplinary misconduct of prosecutors. The law will also be supplemented with a broader list of disciplinary offences and the limitation period will be increased to allow for a comprehensive examination of the violations committed. The number of inspectors has also been increased from 6 to 9," the Executive's statement said.
It also approved the creation within the PSC of a single college responsible for assessing the ethical and financial integrity of prosecutors who will not be subject to the first assessment. Thus, through these instruments, it is proposed to assess the wealth and integrity of all prosecutors in office, as was done for judges.
Among the amendments relating to the activity of the PSC as constitutional guarantor of the independence and integrity of prosecutors are: revision of the composition of the PSC and its adjustment to the recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), formulated during the fourth round of evaluation of the Republic of Moldova; reduction of the mandate of the President of the PSC from 4 to 2 years, without the possibility of exercising two mandates with the establishment of the principle of rotation of the office of President.
The draft, which was prepared with a view to the implementation of the Justice Sector Integrity Strategy, also contains a number of transitional provisions relating to the effective migration of the Inspectorate from the PG to the PSC, as well as clarifications concerning the entry into force of the law.
