Poll: Judges say corruption decreased, while lawyers consider it increased

25.01.2016 17:06
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20% of the judges consider there is no corruption in the judicial system, while almost 50% think the phenomenon of corruption decreased since 2011. At the same time, 52% of the lawyers consider corruption developed in the period, shows an opinion poll commissioned by the Legal Resources Center of Moldova to the Center “CBS-AXA”, IPN reports.

Answering the same question, 35% of the prosecutors said the level of corruption increased, 15% believe it remained the same, while 21% said it decreased. The prosecutors and lawyers consider the level of corruption in the judicial system is higher than the judges admit.

Those polled consider that the level of corruption is the highest at the common law courts and the Supreme Court of Justice. As to the prosecution service, the respondents said the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office is the worst hit by corruption, followed by the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Chisinau Prosecutor’s Office. The Licensing Commission and the Commission for Ethics and Discipline are considered the most corrupt institutions in the area of advocacy.

The survey reveals that 75% of the judges, 50% of the prosecutors and 42% of the lawyers think the justice sector reform initiated in 2011 had a positive impact on the judiciary.

The rise in judges’ salaries in 2014 was approved of by most those surveyed. “Over 80% of the judges support the rise in salaries. Over 78% of the prosecutors and about 53% of the lawyers said the rise in salaries can contribute to an improved quality of justice, independence and responsibility in the system. It should be noted that the prosecutors and lawyers are more critical in this regard. Thus, about 20% of the prosecutors do not agree with such an approach, while 46% consider the rise in salaries is not a solution,” said the head of the Legal Resources Center Vladislav Gribincea.

The poll covered about 32% of all the judges, prosecutors and lawyers working in the country. It was carried out in October – December 2015 with support from USAID within the Rule of Law Institutional Strengthening Program.