The Party Dignity and Truth Platform lawmaker Dinu Plîngău filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court requesting the suspension of the law by which Anatolie Pahopol was appointed member and subsequently acting chair of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM).
"I notified the High Court of an unconstitutional abuse by the parliamentary majority, which seeks to seize political control over the judiciary through the CSM. A result of this political abuse is the promotion of disgraced judges to key positions in the judicial system. The promotion of Veaceslav Clima to chair of the Chișinău Court of Appeal, who previously participated in the annulment of the Chișinău elections, won by Andrei Năstase, is just one of the sad consequences of this unconstitutional intervention", said Dinu Plîngău.
According to Plîngău, "the actions of the parliamentary majority compromise the judicial system". There are three distinct powers according to constitutional provisions and, in his opinion, any such intervention must be penalized with well-argued referrals and well-motivated decisions. "I very much hope that the High Court will satisfy my request by Tuesday, before judges are appointed based on political loyalty", said the MP.
Anatol Pahopol, an alternate member of the Superior Council of Magistracy, was appointed interim CSM chairperson at the end of May. The appointment occurred after new amendments to the law came into force. The amendments allow alternate members to fulfill the duties of CSM judge members, while the judges are on vacation. The law provides that the interim position of CSM chair must be filled by the senior dean amongst the members of the judiciary. Under these conditions, Anatol Pahopol became the interim Council chair, overtaking the place of Judge Luiza Gafton.
At the General Assembly of Judges, which has been set for October 23, a permanent member of the Council will be elected from among the judges. Earlier, Anatol Pahopol said that this is a step towards the election of a permanent CSM chairperson.
