The optimization of the judicial system will make the ordinary people’s access to justice more difficult, said experts invited to the talk show “Place for Dialogue”, which is produced by the public station Radio Moldova, IPN reports.

Lawyer Pavel Midrigan considers the merger of the courts of law in particular areas will affect the residents of the districts that will remain without courts of law. “The people from villages, who are poor enough, will have to cover longer distances to reach the court. Given that the trials in our country are postponed for different reasons, either because a party didn’t come to the hearing or the judge went to attend a seminar, the people will ultimately refuse to seek justice. Any reform, before being implemented, must be analyzed to see if it is convenient for the people. I didn’t see such an analysis,” he said.

Ion Dron, chairman of the Center for Initiatives and Public Authorities Monitoring, consider the optimization of the number of judges will limit the access to justice even if the number of judges will remain the same. “The optimization of the number of judges is a condition imposed by the EU, which the Government of Moldova accepted earlier to get European funds for reforming justice. It’s clear that the Government will save money as a result of this optimization, but this will affect the ordinary people, who will have to pay more to reach the court,” he stated.

Last week Parliament voted the bill to reorganize the judicial system in the first reading. Under the bill, 27 courts of law will be liquidated, while 14 courts will be kept and the number of judges at each court will be raised to at least nine. The courts in Balti, Anenii Noi, Cimislia, Edinet, Cantemir, Straseni, Causeni, Comrat, Criuleni, Drochia, Soroca, Hancesti, Ungheni, and Orhei will be kept. The district courts of Chisinau will be gradually merged so as to create the Chisinau Court by 2027.