The acting prosecutor general asked the Supreme Council of Magistracy to give its consent to take legal action against judge Domnica Manole for the reason that this passed an illegal judgment when she annulled the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to hold a referendum. A number of civil society organizations signed a public call addressed to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Supreme Council of Magistracy by which they express their concern about the acting prosecutor general’s actions, IPN reports.
According to the call, on April 14, at the request of the initiative group for holding a referendum to amend the Constitution, the judge of the Chisinau Appeals Court Domnica Manole annulled the CEC decision of March 30, concerning the refusal to organize the referendum. The judge obliged the CEC to adopt a decision on the initiation of the referendum. The Appeals Court’s decision was challenged by the CEC in the Supreme Court of Justice. On April 22, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the CEC decision is legal, quashed the judgment of the Chisinau Appeals Court and rejected the lawsuit filed by the initiative group. On May 23, the Prosecutor General’s Office was informed by the CEC about judge Domnica Manole’s actions. The next day, the acting prosecutor general requested the Supreme Council of Magistracy to allow taking legal action against the judge.
The signatories call on the acting prosecutor general to explain the accusations made against the judge and to publish the notification, given the case’s resonance and potential impact on the legal system. The Supreme Council of Magistracy is asked to examine the application in a public meeting and to provide convincing arguments in favor the taken decision.
Among the signatories are the Human Rights Embassy, the Association “Promo-LEX”, the Association for Participatory Democracy, the Association for Efficient and Responsible Governance, the Association of Independent Press, the Legal Resources Center of Moldova, the Independent Journalism Center, and Transparency International Moldova.
