The director of the National Anticorruption Center Viorel Chetraru thinks that combating corruption should be Moldova's number one priority. He stated in an interview with Info-Prim Neo, {published on 26 December} as part of the “Year 2012 in the life of Moldova and its people” Series, that this should be our priority regardless of any external factors or our European integration aspirations. “This is a job for us to do, through concerted efforts, through an adequate attitude and constructive efforts to change things for the better”. Commenting on the perception that the Anticorruption Center was being used as a political instrument, Chetraru said that this is a wrong interpretation. “This is why the core element of the reform was to depoliticize the Center”. “You all had the opportunity to observe the procedure of appointing the Center's director. It was for the first time that Parliament organized a public call for applications for the job. Despite all speculations about the objectivity and correctness of the process, it was a public process and thus transparent. This is the main guarantee for the Center's independence. “Besides, there are other procedures and control mechanisms to supervise the Center's work, like monitoring by the specialized parliamentary commission, the Civil Council, and the Anticorruption Center's Board, which includes civil society representatives. The specialized parliamentary commission also delegated a member to the Board, and this is a member of the opposition. I think these guarantees are more than enough”, said Viorel Chetraru in his interview with Info-Prim Neo.