Magistrates gathered at the General Assembly of Judges: Anatolie Turcan removed as chairman of the meeting
Magistrates met today at the General Assembly of Judges, where they will continue the debates on the election of the members of the Superior Council of Magistrates. The interim president of the SJC, Nina Cernat, said the meeting was deliberative. The Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, will also attend the event.
UPDATE 16:30 After six hours of discussions and deliberations, the judges elected their representatives to the SCM. Judges Vasile Șchiopu, Ioana Chironeț, Sergiu Caraman and Maria Frunze were elected as permanent members of the SCM on Friday 28 April at the General Assembly of Judges. Livia Mitrofan from the Chisinau Court, Centre seat was elected alternate member.
Vasile Șchiopu got 220 votes, Ioana Chironeț - 215 votes, Maria Frunze - 158 votes, Sergiu Caraman - 185 votes and Livia Mitrofan - 148 votes.
The list of candidates for the position of member of the SCM included judges who passed the evaluation before the Independent Integrity Assessment Commission of candidates for the position of member of the self-administration bodies of judges and prosecutors.
UPDATE 11:05 Anatolie Turcan was removed from the position of chairman of the General Assembly of Judges by the vote of 188 magistrates present at the meeting. Ghorghe Balan withdrew as secretary of the meeting.
More than 300 judges gathered today at the General Assembly of Judges out of about 400 working in the system, a sufficient number for a quorum. On the agenda is the election of the permanent members of the Superior Council of Magistrates. This comes after the General Assembly of Judges postponed the appointment of the members of the Superior Council of Magistrates at its meeting on 17 March, a decision criticised by the authorities and civil society.
In April 2022, a procedure to evaluate magistrates was launched, through the creation of an independent commission, known as the Prevetting Commission.
It selected 5 candidates for the position of member of the SCM, but its decisions were challenged by magistrates, and they postponed a decision at their meeting on 17 March.
The new Superior Council of Magistracy is to be made up of 12 members: six from the judiciary and six non-judges elected by Parliament.
Currently the SCM has four members, three of whom are non-judges elected following the Pre-Vetting Commission's evaluation competition.
Only five judges out of 23 candidates for positions in the SCM have passed the evaluation of the pre-vetting commission: Livia Mitrofan and Maria Frunze, judges at the Chisinau Court, Centre, Ioana Chironeț, judge at the Chisinau Court, Ciocana and Sergiu Caraman, judge at the Criuleni Court. According to the Commission, they meet the criteria of ethical and financial integrity.
