Corruption and criminality integrated well in society

[Info-Prim Neo article from the series “2011: how it was and how it wasn’t”] Corruption and criminality integrated rather well in Moldovan society. This integration is in fact Moldova’s worst accomplishment in its 20 years of independence, said lawyer Ion Dron, who is a member of the Penal Reform Institute. ”The people are afraid and concerned as the homicide today is diverse, while corruption became a lifestyle for many of us. At instinctive level, the people intuit that such a state of affairs can endanger the children’s future and security in general. We must admit that the problem of corruption and criminality for the time being are not perceived by the political class as matters of interest and national security. The failure in implementing sterile programs that lack strategic character derives from here,” said the lawyer. Without political will, the chances of implementing the planned reforms are illusory. The political class is concerned with preserving the power at all costs. Therefore, the social problems remain unsolved, stated Ion Dron. [90% of serious offenses are committed while under the influence] Colonel Ion Bodrug, deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior’s Police Department, said that the number of serious and extremely serious offenses this year is lower. The fact that we hear about more crimes does not mean that more crimes are committed. “4-5 years ago, the mass media did not cover the offenses so much. Now the press has access to almost all the information and the people find out about what’s happening,” he said. Ion Bodrug stressed that the crime situation in 2011 was stable. “Serious cases happened, which we did not yet manage to elucidate, but almost 90% of the serious offenses were due to the alcohol abuse and were committed mainly in socially underprivileged families,” he stated. Poverty directly influences the crime situation in the country. A recent study by the UN says the states on low incomes are four times more dangerous from criminal viewpoint than the countries with advanced economies. The high crime rate is primarily due to poverty and underdevelopment. Ion Bodrug also said that the police keep the situation under control, but society should change and not allow breaking the law. “Even if the number of crimes decreased, the latest studies put us in the middle of the list. The African countries come after us,” he stressed. [Corruption does not give way] According to the NGO Transparency International Moldova, amendments to a number of important laws were adopted in 2011. However, the measures taken were inefficient to visibly change the situation as regards the prevention and combating of corruption. The National Anticorruption Strategy has been adopted during seven months, while the Strategy Monitoring Group hasn’t worked for 11 months. Thus, no pressure was exerted on the state institutions to efficiently apply the corruption prevention and combating policies. Galina Bostan, head of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption, said the corruption level in 2011 remained at the same level as last year, but steps are being taken to diminish the phenomenon. “Education, medicine and justice are the areas that are most affected by corruption. It is important that the judiciary admitted that it is affected by corruption and measures are taken to remove it from the legal system,” Galina Bostan stated for Info-Prim Neo. [Half of bribery cases involve persons holding responsible positions] According to the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Corruption, the corruption level in 2011 increased slightly. “A number of 1 026 offenses of the kind were identified over 11 months. There were reported cases of corruption involving high-ranking officials. The people erroneously believe that we prosecute only poor doctors or teachers. More than a half of the corrupt persons identified by us are persons holding responsible positions,” said Vitalie Verebceanu, head of the General Corruption Prevention Division. Cases of corruption are most often reported in the local administration, the police, healthcare, education, advocacy and customs. Forty-six cases of corruption were recorded in the local public administration bodies, while 44 cases in the law enforcement bodies. Vitalie Verebceanu is optimistic about the combating of this phenomenon. He said that the National Anticorruption Strategy for 2011-2015 was adopted and the action plan for combating corruption and economic crime for 2012-2013 is close to being approved. The number of employees who will deal with corruption prevention will be increased next year. It is planned to extend the activity all over the country as there are districts where nobody deals with the prevention of corruption. [Mariana Galben, Info-Prim Neo]