The judges are not afraid of assessments. In accordance with the law, they are now assessed once in three years, but the external assessment is aimed at massively cleaning the judicial system. Moreover, the mechanism is electoral in character and the judicial system is used as an electoral mascot for any party that aspires to enter Parliament, said participants in debates centering on the strategy for ensuring the independence and integrity of the justice sector for 2021-2024. The debates were staged on a parliamentary platform and involved presidents of courts of law of different levels, IPN reports.
The head of the Parliament’s legal commission for appointments and immunities Vasile Bolea said the strategy was carried by the legislature at the end of last year, but wasn’t promoted by the President, who invoked that the document should stipulate the judge external assessment mechanism and viable reforms in the anticorruption bodies.
Chisinau Appeals Court president Vladislav Clima said that things in the judicial system do not go very well owing to the persisting negative perception. But the judges want things to go differently and they plead for assessment, but this should be transparent and un accordance with the law. The external assessment is aimed not at improving the quality of justice, but at massively cleaning the judicial system.
As to corruption in the system, Vladislav Clima said the authorities responsible for fighting corruption should work appropriately. There is the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and there are whistleblowers and the question is, why aren’t cases of corruption identified in the judicial system? The responsible bodies should do their job.
Aliona Miron, judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, said there are many problems in the system and these should be recognized. But the reform concept is comprised from the start for the simple reason that the reform has been discussed for years, but no end result was achieved. The judges should be subject to internal assessment and this assessment should be carried out by attentively selected persons, including foreign experts who can monitor the implementation of the reform. The strategy should stipulate a moratorium so that all the politicians are prevented from unjustifiably criticizing the judges. Moreover, penalties should be introduced for unjustified criticism.
Chisinau City Court president Radu Țurcanu noted the judicial system is not afraid of assessments or of foreign experts, but these should know the legislation of the Republic of Moldova and should discuss with the judges who are to be assessed. The judges are ready for an equitable, correct reform so that the integrity of judges is ensured.
The strategy for ensuring the independence and integrity of the justice sector for 2021-2024 and the action plan for implementing were adopted last November with the votes of the Socialist and For Moldova MPs.
