Civil society offers proposals on Prosecutor General’s Office reform

The National Participatory Council (CNP) has 20 proposals and principles that would help to step up reformation efforts at the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), reports Info-Prim Neo. According to CNP president Sergiu Ostaf, the civil society considers that the autonomous signaling institutional mechanism of analysis of misfit interior and exterior influences needs strengthening. Further, it is proposed to toughen penal sanctions for any attempts to influence prosecutors. Another important criterion, according to the CNP, is related to the strengthening of the PGO’s institutional capacities, and in this regard the CNP proposes, according to European practice, to clarify the role of the PGO in relation to other law enforcement institutions. In the opinion of the civil society, it is necessary to introduce an electronic statistical monitoring system for all files at each stage, with a possibility to access qualitative and quantitative data, in order to ensure quality of quality supervision, and the correctness of investigation activities. Another recommendation refers to improving PGO’s responsibility and transparency. In this regard, the civil society proposes the elaboration of a new appreciation system, to rate performance at both individual and system levels, oriented towards efficiency and results, i.e. there is need for performance indicators. The CNP members believe that a public communication mechanism should be adopted, to improve the procedures of accessing public information by the masses, in reference to the files in their phase susceptible to submission to the court. At the same tome, according to the CNP, it would be necessary to create a platform for dialogue with the civil society and public authorities in the field, in order to improve the analytical capacities in dealing with crimes. The CNP members believe that annual reporting should also be improved, to include the presentation of qualitative and quantitative data on the PGO's performance, including the strategic evaluation of risk areas. The pillars for any kind of reform are the human fundamental rights and freedoms, with additional stress on combating torture and ill-treatment that still take place. Prosecutor General Valeriu Zubco, for his part, stated that the new concept of PGO’s reformation guarantees the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens. The Prosecutor admits that some reformation milestones have not been met yet, but is certain that the PGO will catch up with them in the near future.