Parliament dismissed Ruslan Flocea as director of the National Anticorruption Center (CNA) after hearing an assessment report of his activity. Flocea didn’t show up before the MPs, telling reporters earlier that the outcome was known beforehand.
PAS lawmaker Olesea Stamate reported in Parliament that the activity of the Center under Flocea was found to be unsatisfactory. “The CNA was not independent in its activity, and the management of the Center during this period did not organize and ensure the application of anti-corruption legislation in an efficient manner. The result indicators show poor management, a lack of effective control over the CNA, as well as the presence of institutional practices that harm the image of the institution,” stated Olesea Stamate.
In addition to dismissing Flocea, it has been proposed to instruct the Ministry of Justice to initiate a reform of the CNA and of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office. Also, the Prosecutor General’s Office will be asked to consider starting a probe to check how the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office has handled high-profile cases and cases that have been dragging on with little progress.
Com-Soc lawmaker Vasile Bolea criticized the move, saying that the only purpose sought by the ruling party PAS thorough such evaluation processes lately is to take control over key agencies and put loyalists in charge.
Vlad Batrîncea, also of the Com-Soc group, recalled that Flocea was the winning contestant of a selection process for a CNA director in 2019. “When someone is nominated based on a contest, this is to a certain degree democratic. There may be deficiencies, too, but this is at least something accepted by the civilized world. When a CNA director is nominated by 20 MPs, how will the CNA check Parliament and the MPs, how will it fight corruption in Parliament, if this CNA is nominated and appointed by Parliament?”, Batrîncea asked rhetorically.
Flocea was dismissed with the vote of 56 PAS members. The Com-Soc group voted against, while the Shor group abstained.
Before being appointed CNA director in July 2019, Ruslan Flocea served as chief of staff to then-president Igor Dodon.
