The lack of political will, on the one hand, and the political instability, on the other hand, hamper the promotion of the reforms needed by Moldova. Moreover, the authorities make nice statements about the importance of fighting corruption, but do not take real action in this regard, U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Dereck J. Hogan stated in the talk show “Black Box” on TV8 channel.
“We must lay emphasis more on the implementation of the already adopted laws. I think the citizens of the Republic of Moldova want to have more confidence in the transparency, legitimacy and credibility of the judicial system, want to be treated equitably. Moldova no longer needs selective justice. I believe that if we see the lifting of the immunity of particular judges and other, possibly corrupt officials and these are held accountable, this would be a signal that the Republic of Moldova does not have selective justice,” stated Dereck J. Hogan.
The diplomat noted that corruption elements are found not only in justice, but also in the business sector. In conversations with businesspeople, these told him that they meet with multiple impediments in their work. There were situations when businesspeople were told to include a party member or a family member in a particular business.
According to the ambassador, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the specialized prosecutor’s offices, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Justice and the entire judiciary should make the necessary effort to clean the system. “Surely, without the participation of civil society, without the participation of the independent press, this process will not continue to the better. I think all the institutions of the power, civil society, the press, the Government, Parliament, the judicial system should cooperate to identify the most serious problems and start to solve them,” he noted.
Dereck J. Hogan said the fight against corruption is inefficient if there is no wish inside the system. “Without pressure on the part of the Government, civil society, the independent press, this is also not possible. I think it is possible if the political parties start to place increased emphasis on the cleaning of the judicial system. If the political parties, the governmental authorities begin to discuss the economic development in close connection with the rule of law, I believe we can overcome this political and economic crisis,” concluded the diplomat.
