Even if few question the government’s intentions to reform the justice sector reform, the skeptical voices are stronger. This skepticism is fueled by the low speed of the announced reform and the defective public communication about the done reforms that are actually many in number. Skepticism is also fueled by the hesitation in taking critical decisions in the justice sector and the prosecution service, the less predictable reform planning or the modest evolution of high-profile cases, the head of the Legal Resources Center from Moldova Vladislav Gribincea stated in the opening of the Justice Sector Reform and Corruption Fighting Forum 2022, IPN reports.
“The reforms in the justice system cannot be short and cannot lead to palpable results overnight and are not intended for those who cannot see far as they are less about the amendment of laws and more about the change of people and their behaviors. In Moldova’s case, this can mean basic rebuilding of the justice system based on other values than earlier, such as correctness, professionalism transparency and decency,” said Vladislav Gribincea.
According to him, the transformation of the justice system in democracies in transition hasn’t been at all easy. The resistance of the justice system and of those who see a personal danger in the independent judiciary, the limited experience of the government team and the limited human and financial resources are only some of the existing challenges. These, together with regional instability and the consequences of the pandemic, make the real reformation of the justice system and the fighting of grand corruption a difficult objective. But I don’t think the country’s administration can permit itself to make mistakes in this regard as these reforms are those that brought it to power. Moreover, as an EU candidate country, we cannot avoid profound changes in the justice sector and the fight against corruption if we want to get where we aim,” said Vladislav Gribincea.
In the event, the U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Kent D. Logsdon said that common work needs to be done for advancing and for doing a real justice sector reform and combating corruption as it is not at all easy. “Real justice and the anticorruption reform are impossible without strong independent institutions. This means strengthening and equipping these institutions, such as the National Anticorruption Center, the National Integrity Agency and the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office,” stated the diplomat.
The Head of the EU Delegation in Chisinau Janis Mazeiks said the provision of the EU candidate country status to the Republic of Moldova placed the relations with the EU into a new perspective and the European Union becomes considerably involved so as to ensure better cooperation in the reformation of the justice sector. “Indeed, we have particular conditions and this list should be respected. It should be implemented by the Republic of Moldova before it becomes a fully-fledged member of the EU. The Republic of Moldova should be ready and should meet those standards that are met by all the EU member states,” noted the official. According to Janis Mazeiks, the justice sector cases are politicized a lot and confidence in the justice system is undermined. The justice system in Moldova is far from being authentic, independent or impartial and the European Commission believes that even if the constitutional and legal frameworks ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, in practice the integrity and responsibility of the judicial system need to be significantly improved.
The Justice Sector Reform and Corruption Fighting Forum 2022 is taking place in Chisinau during September 15-16.
